


Walk It Off

by myracingthoughts



Series: Alone's The Only Way I've Ever Known [5]
Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV), Hawkeye (Comics), Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. References, Blood and Injury, Captain America: Civil War (Movie), Everyone Needs A Hug, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Parent Death, Past Child Abuse, Post-Avengers: Age of Ultron (Movie), Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Pregnancy, Swearing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-09
Updated: 2020-10-29
Packaged: 2021-03-05 03:14:43
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 17
Words: 49,390
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25167535
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/myracingthoughts/pseuds/myracingthoughts
Summary: [series complete]Sequel to Objectivist On Fire.After Ultron, everything changed.With everyone on edge, from the press, to the team, and even the support system she’d spent so long building for herself, Dani finds herself pitted between two sides: who everyone expects her to be, and who she needs to be.The final part of a larger series.
Relationships: Avengers Team & Original Female Character(s), Clint Barton/Original Female Character(s)
Series: Alone's The Only Way I've Ever Known [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1683040
Comments: 43
Kudos: 20





	1. Chapter 1

**May 19, 2015**

Another morning, another empty bed.

Dani rolled over to find Clint’s side still made up and ice cold. She sighed, too tired to remember the last time she’d seen him before she’d popped a sleeping pill last night. It was the only way she’d been able to get any rest lately, and unfortunately, not an aid Clint was open to for himself.

She hoped he’d at least gotten _some_ sleep last night, regardless of where he’d ended up.

Days had passed — nights too, though much less peacefully — and yet even defeated, Ultron never really went away. He didn’t shy from their dreams, their nightmares, the new Sokovian woman now sleeping in the Tower without her twin brother. Ultron was all over the news, the internet, across everyone’s lips, and a big, black spot on the image of the Avengers. 

And the consequences were rolling in fast and hard, across the team and Tower.

The media were back in full force, guerrilla style in their attempt to get any sort of on-the-record statement that hadn’t been prepared by legal and communications. Poor Wanda had to stay in the Tower for the time being, waiting until they could move to the half constructed compound so she could get fresh air sans flash bulbs. 

And even Dani had been caught in a scrum or two on her way to her office in Brooklyn… where even more cameras stood waiting for her. Dom was a big help, though the media was desperate to pin the two together in a compromising position. Like she really needed her life to be more like _The Bodyguard_ than it already was.

“Miss Stark! What about the rumours you and your bodyguard have more than just a professional relationship?”

She could remember how the heat rose to her face the first time she’d been asked the question, and how much she struggled not to respond. She wanted nothing more than to shoot back something along the lines of, ‘pretty sure my assassin boyfriend and Dom’s _wife and kid_ might have an issue with that stupid fucking rumour’ — which totally would have gone against Pepper’s advice to not say anything at all. It would have been satisfying, though.

Thank god Clint knew better and was a good sport about it.

Dani had even been forced to cancel some appointments from ex-SHIELD members who didn’t want to accidentally end up in the papers. One had already dropped off her patient list altogether, that familiar twisty feeling settling in her stomach at the thought. She couldn’t blame them, not when she had promised them privacy she could no longer safely offer.

But even among the team itself, Ultron was the elephant in the room every time they got together. Not that they’d really gotten together since they came back.

Dani had watched the whole team handle it in their own way.

Bruce was gone. Thor was gone.

Tony might as well have been missing too with the amount of time he’d been spending behind closed doors. And this week he be headed back to Malibu with Pepper, to hopefully fix whatever needed to be mended.

Steve was busy pulling together plans for the new team headquarters, setting up training schedules, and ordering equipment. But he’d been gone to Dani for a while, searching for his childhood-friend-turned-assassin using any and every connection he had.

Nat had become his right-hand woman, wrangling the team and trying to get them comfortable with each other and the idea of training. Throwing herself into her work. Dani barely saw her slow the last few days, racing around the Tower on some sort of mission or another. Paperwork for their new Sokovian team member, making sure she was eating, getting the right medical tests (which she always stayed in the room for), introducing her to the resident psychologist.

If none of that tipped Dani off to just how much Nat was helping Wanda as an escape from her own guilt and emotions, there was always that _look_. Dani watched the fierceness in Nat’s eyes as she looked at the young girl. There was a recognition there, a familiarity, a common thread. Something worth protecting. She’s seen that look before, seen it dead in her own eyes several times in the past four years.

And that’s how she knew Wanda had been brought into their little makeshift family.

In a weird way, between her private practice stumbling and Wanda being brought into the fold, it solidified her plans to take the Head of Physiotherapy role upstate. It unlocked some mother hen instinct buried deep inside her. Between Nat and Wanda, she felt like maybe she could be useful. Needed, even. 

But she tried not to dig too much into _why_ she felt like that.

As for Clint and Dani, they were back to early mornings now, but things were far from back to normal. Whenever they could, they let the kids sleep in while they tried to get work or other things done, valuing their dwindling time alone. But Clint had been waking up long before Dani… or just not sleeping at all. 

“Shit. I thought you’d still be out,” Clint croaked, rubbing his eyes as he leaned against the doorframe. “Did you sleep OK?”

“Missed you,” she said quietly as she crossed the room and wove her arms around him, breathing him in.

His nightmares were back in full force, though he didn’t want to admit it out loud or talk about them. Most times he wouldn’t even wake Dani, shirking off her attempts to comfort him or try to get him back to sleep. She tried to be understanding; he wasn’t ready to talk about it with her. But it still stung to have him throw up his walls like this when she was so used to him being the voice of calm, collected reason with her.

“I know, darlin’,” he mumbled apologetically into her hair. “I just got caught up with Sam, and then I couldn’t really sleep.”

Sam was hovering again, like he could tell there was something wrong, and Clint often ended up training or sparring with him after those all-too early wake-ups. Dani was grateful, but wasn’t ready to talk to him herself.

Between Clint disappearing, Nat being busy and JARVIS gone, she’d barely had a chance to process anything. She oscillated daily between the guilt of being frustrated with Clint closing himself off, and the guilt of asking for his time when Wanda and Nat needed it so much more. Dani was waiting for the other shoe to drop, for the dam to break and everything to flood out.

She felt trapped in the middle of a storm, unable to actually do anything herself. The sinking feeling was far too familiar in all the wrong ways.

“What’s with the luggage?” Clint asked, nudging his chin towards the suitcase in the corner of the room.

She bit her lip, “Have to figure out what I’m going to take upstate. Are you coming on move-in day?”

The idea of leaving every other week was bittersweet; at least she’d be doing something productive, but she was worried about Clint feeling like she was leaving him behind.

 _Like he was with her?_ She tried not to think that way, but it was hard when she’d woken up to an empty bed on her birthday, of all days. She pushed that train of thought to the back of her mind and focussed on getting herself out of bed.

“As long as I’m not needed here,” he replied stiffly, eyes not leaving the half-packed bag. “Speaking of…”

Great, a catch. Propped her chin on his chest, she looked up at him expectantly, but he wouldn’t meet her eyes.

“I have a few reports and briefs to work on today. I know we don’t usually celebrate…” he looked uncertain as he asked for permission.

He didn’t need her permission.

“It’s fine, Clint.”

But she didn’t have to like it.

His lips tilted down at her tone, rubbing his hands over the bare skin of her arms and kissing the crown of her head.

“Are you sure? We’ll still have dinner together.”

“Nat and I were going to go shopping with Wanda,” she said, trying to brush off his concern (and the sting). “She managed to find an appointment-only boutique so hopefully we won’t end up on TMZ again.”

“I’m sure Dom will appreciate that,” he chuckled. “Though I hear his wife has framed a couple of the pap shots.”

She knew Clint was just trying to make her feel better, but the surface level attempts weren’t what Dani needed right now. She needed something concrete, something she could hold onto, but she just couldn’t find the words to ask for it. Her head swirled with doubts as she burrowed further into his chest, trying to find some ounce of comfort while she could.

“You’re sleeping in bed with me tonight, right?” 

She hated how small her voice sounded, hated that she even had to ask the question, but she needed to hear him say it. What she really wanted to ask was how he was, ask him to talk to her, say anything that would make her feel less like he was pushing her away. Some days it felt like he was pushing her upstate, like it was a convenient way for him to have space.

His hand slipped to her cheek, tilting her head towards him so he could search her brown eyes.

“I promise, Dani. I love you.”

Calloused fingers traced her cheek as he pressed his lips to hers. She wanted more. She always wanted more with him, but this was enough for her, for now. It would have to be.

“Love you too,” she breathed. “I do really have to get ready, though. Nat will be breaking down the door soon.”

A knock at the door confirmed her suspicions, leaving Dani to finish getting dressed and Clint to get the door. She could hear the murmur of chatter, realizing Nat had come alone.

“Dan, I’m heading out,” Clint called out from the front room. “I’ll see you at dinner.”

“See you,” she called out, only to find her friend standing in her bedroom doorway. “Jesus, Nat,” she gasped. “Keep the spy stuff to the field.”

She’d say she was surprised that the spy just kept watching as she tried to get a shirt over her head, but Nat had seen her in way more compromising positions than this.

“Habit,” she dismissed with a soft smile. “How have you been?”

“Clint talk to you?” Dani sighed, still feeling a little raw.

“He didn’t have to.”

Dani shot her a pointed look before realizing she’d been set-up to walk right into her nosiness. Ignoring Nat’s question completely she asked, “Where’s Wanda?”

“We’re going to meet her at her suite,” Nat replied. “Do I need to beat some sense into Barton?”

Dani softened slightly, shoulders unconsciously relieving themselves of their defensive hunch. While she was sure that wasn’t her only reason for coming alone, she was grateful she was asking.

“No,” she replied quickly, too quickly. “He has his own shit to deal with.”

Picking at her nails, she looked casual, but Dani knew it was all calculation behind those green eyes.

“I’m no relationship expert, but his shit is yours now too, isn’t it? And vice versa?” 

“You’re starting to sound like Sam,” Dani said with a shake of her head before trying to get them back on track. “We should go.”

* * *

Nat had left Wanda and Dani to their own car, having some errands of her own to do. Shopping had gone well. The stack of boxes and bags in the trunk spoke to a successful trip. But Dani had been distracted, missing cues, questions and zoning out like it was her full-time job.

She wasn’t sure if it was the lack of sleep or if she was just having a bad day.

“Are you OK, Dani?”

Dani caught Dom’s eyes in the rearview mirror, watching carefully. She could almost feel him bristle at the question, and she wasn’t sure if it was because he wanted to ask it himself or because he was so used to her frustration at the too-commonly-asked question. Either way, he’d been extra cautious with her lately, between the media coverage and Clint’s absences.

She felt like he was waiting for the same storm to hit as she was.

“Not really,” she answered honestly, trying to lift the unwilling corners of her mouth. “But I’ll get there. Sorry if I brought the mood down,” she chuckled humourlessly.

“I know what that’s like,” Wanda replied with a wave of her hand. “It is no problem. I just hope Natasha didn’t pressure you into coming.”

Wanda was dressed casually in a pair of Nat’s jeans and her own combat boots. She had this gentle air about her, brown hair a little frizzy, eyeliner on a little thick, but she was beautiful.

“Sometimes I need a kick in the butt to get out of the Tower,” Dani admitted. “It’s probably good for me to get out some more. Talk to people. Be social.”

“Sounds exhausting,” Wanda said with a wry smile.

It was the first real smile Dani had seen since Natasha had forced her to try on an awful mustard dress earlier in the day. It made her look younger, her real age. While she was sure she’d missed some of it with her wondering and worrying, it had been nice to see Wanda break out of her shell the past week and a half.

Dani couldn’t imagine was it was like to lose her brother; even looking back at all the times she’d nearly lost hers, she can’t fathom the pain, guilt and sense of loss. She was strong, this little brunette full of wit and peaceful resolve. She was quiet, but there was a fire there.

“It is. Trust me, a couple more weeks in the Tower and you’ll be begging to be upstate,” Dani said with a smirk. “They look like adults, but the Avengers are all gossips.”

“That much I’ve learned,” Wanda joked. “Their thoughts are very loud sometimes.”

That piqued Dani’s curiosity. They hadn’t talked a lot about her powers, and all that Dani had heard had come from Clint’s experience. She’d only seen bits and pieces of the snaking red mist once or twice in action.

“Can you usually filter people out, or is it a conscious thing?” Dani asked. “Sorry, I don’t mean to pry—“

“No, no! It’s fine,” Wanda said with a warm smile. “Most people are too scared to ask. It’s mostly subconscious, but sometimes when there are very strong emotions, they’ll bleed through. The Captain wants me to try to improve.”

“I hope I’m not too loud then,” Dani said in the most light-hearted tone she could muster. But deep down she worried she was making Wanda uncomfortable with her own personal wallowing.

Wanda’s eyes softened, “You’re fine, Dani. No where near as loud as Tony.”

She snorted, “Yeah, sounds about right.”

Dom helped them bring their bags upstairs once they got back to the Tower. Wanda thanked her for spending the day together before heading off to her suite. Clint was already waiting back at Dani’s door.

“I thought you were working?”

He looked a little embarrassed, rubbing the back of his neck. 

“I may have gotten chewed out by Nat and cut that short. I figured we could have a quiet afternoon on the couch and just order something in later for dinner?”

She was torn between being annoyed at Nat stepping in and relieved she wouldn’t have to spend the afternoon alone at home.

“Sounds perfect.”

And that’s how they spent the rest of the day, tangled in each other on the couch. Take-out containers littered the coffee table as they watched some cheesy rom-com she couldn’t care less about. All she wanted were the peppered kisses, trailing touches and bare skin on skin. It was almost intoxicating, this closeness she’d missed so much.

Like old times.

“I’m sorry I haven’t been around much lately,” he whispered into her shoulder.

Dani pressed a kiss into the back of his hand in lieu of a reply. He found her bracelet, gently tracing the tiny arrowhead before threading his fingers through hers.

“When I was going through everything last year,” she started levelly, clearing her throat. “You told me you wouldn’t hide things from me. And I know you’re still processing; it’s a lot, but I need you to not shut me out.”

“I know,” he sighed. “I’m sorry. It’s stupid, but I didn’t want to bring you down with me. But I didn’t really help, did I?”

She shifted in his grasp, turning to face him in the dim light. Tracing the lines of his face with her thumb, she watched his eyes close as he leaned into the contact. She found and catalogued the dark circles, the scars and the stubble, all those little pieces that made up the man she loved.

“It’s a lot of change,” she said softly. “We just have to communicate, OK? I’ll get better at it too.”

He nuzzled into the crook of her neck, dragging his prickly cheeks along the soft skin there, making her giggle.

“Scared me a bit, seeing you packing,” Clint said softly, looking up at her.

“Now you know how it feels,” she teased, pressing a kiss to his temple as her hands trailed up underneath his shirt. “I know you haven’t signed your paperwork for the compound yet. You know, you can always come with me.”

Her lips trailed down and across his jaw, making their way down his neck. If anything was going to convince him, she was hoping this would sweeten the deal at least. The hitch in his breath told her it was working.

“I could make it worth your while,” she crooned playfully, all the heavy stuff out of the way for the moment.

His chuckle came out as almost a growl, “If you keep doing that, I might have to take you to bed.”

“Here or upstate?”

“If I say both can we take this to your room?”

“Say it and you can take me anywhere.”

Blue eyes alight in a way she hadn’t seen in weeks, his Cheshire cat grin widened.

“With an offer like that, I’d be stupid to say no.”


	2. Chapter 2

**May 6, 2015**

The combination of Nat’s silence in the pilot seat and the hum of the flight back to Avengers Tower almost lulled Dani to sleep, but before she knew it, they had arrived.

Dani hadn’t noticed Clint’s limp until they were unstrapped and walking off the Quinjet, worry creasing her forehead as she spent the next minute convincing him to actually _go_ to medical himself and not just drop Wanda off. 

Begrudgingly, he relented. So Dani and Kate tugged him into the exam room, sitting him down on the table and walking out just as the doctor greeted him. The wing was already abuzz with the other team members, floating in and out of specialist offices and exam rooms. Kate took a seat while Dani stood against the wall across from the door in full view, watching the other Avengers walk by with visible bandages and balms. 

Nat hovered by Wanda, placing a gentle hand on the brunette’s shoulder as they waited in matching chairs outside the door for her turn.

“Dani?”

She tilted her head in the direction of the voice, finding blue eyes, a couple of scrapes and bruises but not much other visible damage. He was jittery though, restless fingers toying with the pouches on his uniform. Why was he in medical? He avoided this wing like the plague when he could.

“Steve. Are you OK?”

“I should be asking you that,” he sighed, running his fingers through his hair. “Clint?”

“He’ll be fine. I’m glad we managed to talk him in to see a doctor,” she said, the corner of her lip tilting.

Leaning himself on the wall beside her, his shoulder barely brushed hers. Had he come here to check up on her, Wanda or Nat? She’d bet it was one of the latter. Both of them locked onto the redhead across the room, calmly talked to the girl in the red leather jacket, keeping just enough of a distance not to be smothering. 

Green eyes met Dani’s brown, and the flash of a smile told her she knew they were watching.

“You meet Wanda yet?”

Dani nodded, “Clint introduced us.”

“He was really good with her out there. I think she’ll fit in just fine with a bit of training,” Steve offered, unprompted. He’d been thinking a lot about this on the ride home, that much was clear. “Listen, I didn’t get the chance to thank you at the safe house, but thank you for pulling together dinner and everything.”

Her brow furrowed at him thinking about meal prep when they’d just been through a battle. But she let him pull her into his side anyway, taking the opportunity to lean her head on his chest. It made her realize how much she’d missed having Steve around, all those months of him being AWOL and avoiding her. 

This silent pseudo apology was enough for her right now.

“You guys were a bit of a mess, understandably all things considered. It was the least we could do,” 

Steve nudged he head toward the sleek black hair just visible over the back of the comfy chair in front of them, “That’s Clint’s protégé, right? Kate? I didn’t get a chance to really talk to her.”

“Yeah, but the way those two are, I’m not sure who’s the mentor or mentee anymore,” she chuckled. “She’s a good kid.” Dani bit her lip, remembering the QuinJet ride back, “Steve, Clint mentioned another addition to the team?”

He almost laughed but stopped himself as if he’d just remembered the where and why of how they got there.

“I’ll let him explain that one.”

**May 28, 2015**

Dani was honestly surprised Tony didn’t break out the giant scissors, because the only thing missing from move-in day was a good old fashioned ribbon cutting.

The Avengers Compound was beautiful, all open spaces and sleek lines. Tony had managed to sneak in all sorts of fun tech that Avengers Tower didn’t even have yet, and the security system was so beefed up she started to wonder just how many all-nighters he’d pulled since Ultron’s defeat. 

The green space surrounding the facility was a nice touch, too; being in the middle of nowhere had its perks, she supposed. It was a completely different experience from New York City, and not just in the locale.

The Tower was Tony personified; chaos and disorder, hundreds of tiny specialized worker pods flitting around at the same time, just praying they didn’t careen into each other. They were stacked like worker bees in a building overlooking a city that never slept. 

On the other hand, the compound was all Steve; structure, order and the closest thing to military efficiency that Dani had experienced since SHIELD. It was precision and might, training and teamwork, with enough ground to keep themselves from the public.

She held Clint’s hand a little tighter as they made their way off the QuinJet and into the hangar, her brother waiting for them just off the ramp. Wanda followed close behind, wide eyes taking everything in.

“So, what do you think?” Tony did his best Vanna White impression, sweeping his arms around in a show.

He looked like a proud father to a bouncing baby building, just as tired as one too, as she raked her eyes around the dimly-lit hangar. She realized he probably hadn’t meant this room in particular, but she wasn’t going to miss a good chance at getting to him.

“It’s still got that new building smell,” Dani said with a wry smile.

“You haven’t even seen your office yet,” he said dryly, unimpressed with her response. “What about you, Pipsqueak? Look like home?”

Wanda’s brow raised at the nickname, but she knew better than to question it.

“The air is a lot fresher out here than in the Tower.”

Tony looked unsatisfied with that answer, too, frowning slightly. “Tough crowd,” he murmured. “Your room will win you over. Legolas?”

“You know me, Tony. If there’s a range, it’s fine with me.”

That seemed to set Tony as ease, and grateful someone could stroke his ego as he led them through the halls. The sound of Tony’s chattering about the main floor carried ahead of them over glass and steel. Vision was set to arrive with Natasha later in the day, leaving the three (plus Tony) to figure their way around the compound first.

“Well, that solves that, then. I’ll take the archer down to the range for inspection, and you two can explore the residential wing,” Tony said with a smile. “Just take the elevator up, and FRIDAY can guide you.”

Dani wasn’t so oblivious to miss the stutter in Wanda’s step, eyes momentarily darting between Clint and the doctor. She wondered if Wanda was more nervous to be _with_ her or with _out_ Clint. But the uncertainty melted away instantly — though Dani wasn’t sure if that was to hide it or if her concerns were quelled. 

Dani raised her eyebrows at Wanda, who gave her a slight nod in confirmation (good enough for her), and they made their way towards the nearest open elevator.

“Where to, Dr. Fisher?” 

FRIDAY’s voice nearly scared the living daylights out of Dani, but she managed a quick, “Residential wing, please.”

The door closed, and they could barely feel the elevator start moving… until it ground to a stop in between floors 3 and 4. Every button on the elevator panel went dark, overhead light flickering slightly. All in all, not a good sign. 

Dani’s immediate thought was that this better not be some sort of hazing ritual her brother cooked up. Or else she was never going to let him hear the end of it.

“You have got to be kidding me. Tony. Really? Broken on opening day…” Dani muttered to herself, mostly.

A sharp intake of breath beside her brought her straight back to reality. The realization set in that Wanda was also trapped inside a tiny steel box with her, suspended between floors and without an exit. 

Shit. This wasn’t good.

“FRIDAY, status?” she called out quickly, hoping the AI would respond with some good news.

“Working on it, Dr. Fisher.”

Though it didn’t seem like the voice provided much comfort for the other passenger, and Dani could feel her pulse race beneath her skin. Fingers drifted to her neck, scratching absentmindedly as her mind scrambled to find some sort of solution. 

“Wanda, are you OK?”

Wanda shook her head, jaw and fists clenched and eyes closed. It had only been a minute since the door closed behind them, but every second felt like Wanda’s tremors grew stronger.

Dani had read the file and knew she’d been trapped in a collapsed building before. Tony especially had been very open with the group when they signed Wanda onto the team since her power (and Vision’s) was something they’d never really dealt with before. There had been debriefs and meetings and a whole load of paperwork.

But Dani couldn’t think of anything that would help her, except her own experience.

“Can you try to take a deep breath for me, Wanda? Good,” she watched her chest rise amidst the shudders. “OK, now out. Just focus on the breath coming in and out, air flowing in and out,” she instructed, timing it carefully as she watched the elevator’s panel light up in the corner of her eyes.

Wanda reached for Dani’s forearm as the elevator jostled slightly, white knuckles wrapped around her as they began moving up again towards their destined floor.

“It’s OK,” Dani tried to soothe, laying her hand gently over Wanda’s. “Deep breaths.”

Wanda hesitated as the doors slid open, revealing the well-lit floor, but Dani gently guided her out onto steady ground.

“Thank you,” Wanda breathed, colour flooding back to her face as the rigidity started to fade. “I’m sorry, that was foolish.”

“No need for apologies here,” Dani assured, hand still rubbing calming circles between her shoulder blades. “It’s normal to be afraid of tight spaces. And it’s completely normal to have a fight or flight response to that kind of situation, trust me.”

Wanda’s brow quirked slightly at her last two words, but she didn’t ask the question she wanted to, nodding instead. She took a few seconds to catch her breath, Dani watching closely to make sure she was alright. Wanda squeezed her hand in assurance.

“Are you breaking your brother’s toys already?” a familiar voice called from down the hall, Rhodey’s wide smile greeting them.

“It was broken before we got into it. Scout’s honour,” Dani joked in response.

“I feel like I’ve heard that one before.”

She skipped ahead, launching herself at the man who stumbled back a step to meet her hug. They hadn’t seen enough of each other last year, with his busy schedule and her healing from injuries. She was ecstatic when Rhodey signed onto Tony’s new team, knowing they’d be able to catch up.

“Well, I’m glad to know I’ll be getting the best care in New York State. Hey, Wanda!”

The brunette waved back tentatively, still catching up to Dani’s gallop, but looking much better than she had minutes before.

“If you really wanted to flatter, you should have said the _country_ ,” Dani scoffed at Rhodey with a chuckle. He had a careful eye on her, inspecting her the way she’d expect an older brother to... if she had a normal older brother. 

“How have you been, kid?”

She couldn’t think of the best way to answer him. Should she hit him with a ‘my boyfriend and I are barely sleeping lately’ or maybe a ‘I’m terrified I’m going to screw up this job,’ or even the always true ‘I have no idea what I’m doing with myself and just going along for the ride at this point.’

“Oh, you know.”

He raised a brow at her minimalist response, but didn’t push, “Yeah, I do.”

“Dr. Fisher,” a blond head of hair popped out from a doorway down the hall. “Have a minute?”

Looking between Rhodey and Wanda for confirmation, they both gave quick nods.

Steve motioned for her to join him through an open doorway, and Dani’s eyes drifted over the shiny plaques, and time-worn photos hung on the wall. Military medals and awards were displayed on a bookshelf near the entrance and a stack of red, white, and blue merchandise.

He sat behind a modern L-shaped desk, monitor displaying a lock screen and laptop closed. The scattered papers on the tray in front of him gave away the fact he’d been working here for weeks already. 

But that wasn’t what he called her in here to talk about. Between his tone, the crease in his forehead and the frown lines, Dani knew exactly what he was about to ask.

“I got stuck in an elevator, Steve. I’m fine,” she assured.

He looked a little thrown off by her comment, pursing his lips slightly as he found the words, “It wasn’t just that. You’re looking…”

“Like shit? You can say it,” she chuckled humourlessly. “Sleep’s been hard to come by.”

Running her fingers through her hair, she relented in taking a seat across from him, struggling to keep her eyes on his. Maybe he could tell how uncomfortable the whole thing was making her because, in a moment, his blue eyes softened, and he lowered his voice.

“Do you want to talk to someone?”

He was trying to find a solution. How very Tony of him. But she wasn’t a problem meant to be solved.

“I think the change of scenery might help.”

The fact that robots hadn’t tainted this building was a big selling point if she was honest. She couldn’t count the number of times she’d woken up thinking she was still on that couch with Dom, JARVIS-less and wondering what the hell was going on.

“We’ve got to be a team here, Dani,” he said. “So I need you to tell me if something’s wrong. If you need help, I’m here for you.”

“I know, Steve. I appreciate it,” she said solemnly with a nod. “I’m just… I’m working on it.”

“Fair enough.”

It wasn’t long before the telltale footsteps announced that Tony and Clint managed to find Rhodey and Wanda down the hall. Making her way out of Steve’s office, Dani gave her brother a death glare as he tried to explain how his elevator managed to break down on opening day and watched as his eyes darted between her and Wanda.

“I’ll uh,” he hesitated, clearing his throat to buy him time. “I’ll get that fixed. In the meantime, I guess I’ll give you guys the authentic tour so you can pass it onto Romanoff?”

“And Vision.”

“Oh no, Vision’s had the schematics for weeks. Made a couple of excellent suggestions, actually.”

Their steps echoed across the smooth floors and ceilings as they walked, punctuating Tony’s ramblings about where he sourced things and how hard that particular permit was to get. Wanda was in awe, eyes alight as they walked through the compound. Clint stuck close in between them, hand at Dani’s lower back as they paced the halls, quietly taking it all in. 

Arriving in a modern, open concept kitchen-living-room, Tony quickly directed them to their respective rooms. 

Dani’s was just around the corner, grey walls with a pile of purple accent pillows on the king bed. A few framed photos hung on the walls, and she realized Tony must have pulled some from the media archives and his personal collection. Still, it felt a little sterile, even for her taste. 

Clint sat himself down on the bed and bounced on his heels, “This’ll do.”

Maybe she was just in a bad mood, but a feeling settled deep in her gut. It didn’t feel quite like _home_ , she realized. Dani rolled her eyes and chuckled, plunking beside him and leaning into his shoulder, trying to find a physical reminder of a homier feeling.

“Love you,” she said, just needing to hear him return it.

“Love you too, Dan,” he cupped her cheek in her palm, tilting her eyes to meet his. “Everything OK? I know it’s a lot.”

“Yeah,” she assured with a breath, not wanting to worry him. “Yeah.”

A double knock brought their attention to the doorway, cutting their moment short. Tony leisurely leaned on the frame, “Wanna see your office?”

Dani perked up, replying with a broad smile, “Of course.”

Tony was unusually quiet as he guided her down the stairs (thankfully) and towards the medical wing. He didn’t point out the artwork on the walls, or the tile he’d imported from somewhere impressive. He didn’t even joke about the fact her office was on the main floor, so she wouldn’t have to risk a repeat of earlier.

“FRIDAY’s already got the elevator guy on his way to check out that car,” he said softly, revealing his guilt. 

Dani nodded, not wanting to think harder about the experience than she had to. While Wanda had been in apparent distress, she had also been the only reason Dani hadn’t freaked out more. Having to focus on pulling Wanda out of it had distracted her enough not to react.

The office was beautiful, with separate exam rooms, tables and equipment in an ample, sleek office. It was more than she could have asked for, and much bigger than the space she rented in Brooklyn.

“Well, you’re certainly putting SHIELDRA to shame,” she said with a smile. “It’s beautiful, Tony. Thank you.”

He shrugged noncommittally, “Had to keep up my end of the bargain.”

“Stark.”

The firm voice was one Dani hadn’t heard in a while, her ears perking up at the sound, and her eyes rushing to meet the stern face at the end of the hall. Brown hair cropped short and framing her face, Dani couldn’t help her lips tilting in recognition.

“Hill,” Tony called back in a mock-serious voice. “You all set up?”

“Going to have to get all the HR files up to date, qualifications, you know,” she said, shooting Dani and knowing look, “but we’re in good shape.”

“Is that code for training?” Dani asked with a wry smile.

“Yep. All your favourites,” Hill replied, amused tone lurking beneath the words. “Nice to have you on my team again, Fisher.”

She took a look around the glass panels overlooking the greenery surrounding the compound, and though she was still a little unsure of it all, she smiled. 

“Nice to be back.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little more dialogue-heavy than usual, but here we are. Next chapter will be in Brooklyn, so not to worry if you haven’t had your Clint fill lately.
> 
> See you at next week’s Friday/Saturday update!


	3. Chapter 3

**June 8, 2015**

Dani awoke to a steady stream of curse words pouring out of her boyfriend’s mouth. It was not exactly how she wanted to spend their first week back in Brooklyn, but it was certainly on brand.

It took a couple of blinks through still sleepy lashes to find Clint across the bedroom. His cell phone was between his teeth, as he flitted around the bedroom, throwing open drawers and rifling through them. He nearly knocked over the table lamp in the process, hopping on one foot as he rushed to get his pants on.

“Work?” Dani asked, voice still scratchy.

Sitting up in bed, she threw the covers off of herself and stretched.

“No — well, kind of. Landlord stuff,” he stumbled, now onto finding a clean shirt. Nosing through a couple of shirts he swiftly tossed in the hamper, he continued. “A pipe burst in Mrs. Petrov’s unit, so I’m going to go check it out.”

“Need some help?”

He paused, looking a little jealous as he found still on the bed, “You don’t have to.”

But his hesitation was enough for her, and she quickly pulled on her jeans and Clint’s hoodie, twisting her hair into a top knot. She knew that it might be good for him to have a buffer present between his lack of sleep and frustration. Plus, she had the day off anyway, and Lucky would be fine in the apartment for a couple of hours, at worst.

It only took her five minutes to make herself presentable, beating Clint as he struggled to find his keyring for the building. He was in the middle of notifying the unit underneath Mrs. Petrov’s, and she could hear the frustration on the other end of the phone at the considerable water stain forming on their ceiling.

As they exited his unit, he was already on the phone with his plumber, trying to grimacing at the _emergency response_ quote he fed him over the line. She watched his expression drop at the cost. It was a very good thing Avenging paid well (and he was covered).

The Petrov place was two floors up, but the water pooling in the hall led them towards the right unit to Clint’s groan, “Ugh, I hate dealing with insurance.” 

Dani followed quietly in step, trying to be silent support as she comfortingly rubbed his back.

Power outage, air conditioning unit on the fritz, even hot water complaints — she was sure Clint would have taken any of those over the thought of water damage. He was a bundle of nerves as they approached, hair askew and slept in, hand-in-hand as they waded through the inch-deep water. 

Mrs. Petrov was a wiry woman waiting for them at the end of the hall, grey hair, emerald apron and yellow galoshes, sighing loudly, “I thought you’d never come.”

Ushering the pair into the cozy one-bedroom unit, Dani’s eyes fell quickly on the dozens of mismatched frames decorating the walls. Some were aged, worn and warped by times, but others looked like they could have been taken yesterday. Broad smiles and siblings lined up in rows; she lost herself in imagining the chaos beyond the frames: the vibrancy and the warmth of a large family.

But she shook herself out of it, knowing they had a much bigger problem at hand.

Thankfully Mrs. Petrov — Eugenia, she insisted — had been home at the time of the burst and was able to get to the water shut-off valve. Dani quietly rescued a couple of plants resting on the ground, trying to help clear the floor and avoid any more damage as Clint inspected her bathroom.

“I’ve got a plumber on the way, Mrs. Petrov, and I’ll get to talking with the insurance company about everything else,” Clint assured after taking a few photos of the damage.

“Oh, thank goodness,” she sighed, hand over heart and looked at Dani with a relieved smile, which she tried to return. 

“Are you sure you don’t need any help moving anything out of the way?” Dani offered as she started to set down some towels to soak up the excess liquid. 

“No, dear. Thank you for the offer,” she said with a soft smile before turning to Clint. “Mr. Barton, I didn’t realize you were married.”

Taken off guard by the line of questioning, Clint sputtered, “Oh no, we’re not—“

“Oh! Engaged then?” her eyes darted quickly to Dani’s left hand before looking a little disappointed.

Dani chuckled, “No, not that either.”

Hand on hip, though this wasn’t the time, Mrs. Petrov played the part of a mother asking for grandkids impeccably. If anyone else had been watching, they might have assumed Dani had put her up to it, but it was all Eugenia’s own beaming pride.

“What are you waiting for?” she scolded Clint, shooting Dani a devious grin. “You need to get a ring on this beautiful woman’s finger.”

Clint’s face was about a dozen scarlet shades, stretching all the way up into his ears.

Sure, the rational part of her brain (somewhere distant at the moment) screamed that they’d only been together officially for a year, but her heart? That thing inside her chest that fluttered every time Clint gave her a second look? It was definitely taking the lead right now. Not that she’d say it out loud, or even admit it to herself. She tried not to think too hard about it, as neither of them was in the right place for _that_ conversation.

Having found his voice again, after a quick coughing fit, Clint straightened himself out and manage to find his words again, still looking flush, “Do you want me to wait here with you for the plumber, Mrs. Petrov?”

“No, no, dear. I will be fine, and if now, I will call,” she assured with a gentle wave of her hand. “Next time I see you, I hope your finger will not be so bare.”

After a bashful smile and nod, Dani waited until they were outside the apartment to chuckle and hip check Clint, patting his back comfortingly. He didn’t meet her eyes, looking more nervous now than he had walked into the apartment.

“Wanna get brunch?”

They hooked a leash onto Lucky’s collar — avoiding the exuberant and slobbery kisses — and made their way to a locale cafe with decent breakfast sandwiches. Sun shining, it was the perfect day off, and Dani was glad they’d be spending some of it outside. She tied Lucky’s leash around one of the bistro tables out front while Clint grabbed food.

Summer in the city was always lovely, with ample foot traffic and warmth. It was a school day, so it was still quiet — they still had another hour before the local kids were let out for lunch. Scratching Lucky’s head absentmindedly while he eyed a pigeon infringing on his territory, she smiled as Clint set down two brown paper bags and matching iced coffees.

“Ah, sweet caffeine,” Dani sighed, promptly sipping the milky concoction.

Clint chuckled but didn’t say anything, busying himself picking the wrapper off the sandwich instead. He was holding something back, she could tell. His face told her he had something to say, different from the landlord jitters he’d had earlier in the day.

“So,” Dani opened up the conversation. “Mrs. Petrov seemed nice.”

His eyes immediately flicked to hers guiltily —like she hit a nerve.

Taking a bite of his sandwich to buy himself time, he swallowed and sighed, “Do you _want_ to get married?”

Bingo.

“The way you’re asking sounds more like ‘do you want to get a root canal?’” she snorted at what she assumed was a joke. 

But the way he looked at her, so expectantly and concerned, made her stomach drop a bit, and now she was less sure. Nibbling her lip, she tried again, hoping the addition would settle Clint’s obvious concern. 

“Well, I dunno…I guess I just think you don’t _need_ to be married to be together. Unless you wanted to,” Dani said quietly, looking into his big blue eyes for reassurance.

Were they not on the same page here? He didn’t seem any lighter after her answer, and she found herself gripping his hand a little tighter than she meant to at the thought.

“You and I both know I haven’t had the best experience with the whole legal union thing,” Clint replied, shifting slightly in his seat. “But it’d be _your_ first. You didn’t dream about a big white wedding as a little girl?”

She knew what he was feeling, the pressure from everyone around them, thinking they had to meet these pre-determined milestones in their life like some sort of stamp card. Sometimes she found herself thinking too hard about what other people wanted for her, the Tonys and the Peppers and Mrs. Petrovs of the world.

Now it was her turn to pick at the kraft and wax paper in her hands, trying to find a way to avoid making the next sentence out of her mouth as depressing as it sounded in her head.

“When I was young, I only ever saw weddings in movies and on TV,” she admitted. “So, they always seemed farfetched. Not real, almost.” 

It was the truth, though. She’d never been to a wedding before, never known a couple whose marriage made all the difference in their relationship. And most of the happier people she’d known throughout her life, the ones she bonded with and loved, were never married.

Head resting against his knuckles, and still not quite meeting her gaze, he didn’t say anything. She gulped down a generous serving of guilt at the uncertainty in his eyes and tried to lighten the mood. 

“Why? You planning on going somewhere?” she sassed him with a soft smile.

That seemed to snap him out of it, looking at her with a toothy grin placed firmly on his face, “Nah, you’re stuck with me.”

“Good. Glad that’s settled.”

Ignoring the unanswered questions she thrust to the back of her mind, the rest of their lunch went well. Plenty of time to watch the people walk by and hear the school bells ring for lunch. Lucky even managed to weasel a couple of strips of bacon from Clint’s club sandwich. 

It was the glint of a DSLR lens in the distance that tipped her off that their unusually pleasant afternoon was about to go sideways.

Typically she would have spotted _her_ face first, and not some nobody she probably offered to pay in tabloid royalties. But apparently, her face had lacked the recognition it would have held years before, which used to be seared into her nightmares. Small mercies.

“Clint. I think we’re going to have to go,” Dani warned from the side of her mouth, eyes never leaving the target.

“Danielle?” 

_She_ was already halfway across the street by the time Dani’s name left her mouth. She tried to ready her defences, put on whatever hard demeanour was going to get her through this as quickly as possible. But it was like she was frozen in place, unable just to walk away from the trainwreck that was about to happen.

Anger. Anger would be the only way she was going to get through this.

“Who told you I was going to be here?” Dani barked as heart thumped against her ribcage.

Clint’s expression hardened at her tone as his eyes darted between the two women. 

“Dani, is this your…?”

Dani nodded, turning back to the greying brunette standing a foot from them. Clint’s fingers were firmly around Dani’s forearm as the woman closed the gap between her and their table, her eyes locked on her daughter’s. His other hand instinctively ducked under the table, tightening hold of Lucky’s leash. As if on cue, the dog started to growl at their unwanted visitor.

“Where’s the other camera? Who’s recording this?”

“I just wanted to talk to you,” the older woman replied levelly.

“I’m not stupid, Rochelle,” Dani seethed, refusing to use a parental title with the woman who’d never acted like a parent a minute of her life. 

“You’re my daughter, Danielle. I know you’re not stupid,” she replied simply.

Dani turned both shoulders to face her mother, chin raised, and fists clenched. Defensive from head to toe, but she didn’t care about optics right now. All she cared was that her mother wasn’t going to make it out of this conversation with any more of her flesh.

“There’s only one reason you’d come see me, and that’s a payday. So how were you planning on getting it this time?”

Looking back at the photographer, shooting from across the street, she replied, “He’s here for my safety.”

Perfect, fitting right into the media’s Avengers gone rogue narrative. Bet she could have sold that line straight to FOX News. As if she and Clint posed some sort of threat. Like she would ever lay a hand on that woman the rest of her life, with sound or bad intentions. 

Dani scoffed, “They’re here because you gave them a scoop. So what is it now? Why now?”

“I’m just. I’m trying to say goodbye.” Her voice was tired, worn with time and the cigarette habit she’d likely kept up. “I don’t have much time left, Danielle, and money isn’t going to help where I’m going.”

Where she was…? Dani furrowed her brow and stared. Was she saying what she thought she was? No, she must have been mishearing her dramatics.

“I’m dying, Dani. The doctors think I don’t have much longer.”

Her stomach dropped; her earlier admission giving Dani pause. It was the first time she’d ever implied an afterlife as far as she could remember. But Dani was stubborn, insistent on not letting anything break this hard facade she’d thrown up, and she refused to give in to the lurch in her gut.

She had to be lying.

“If you’d died every time you warned me you were about to, I’d have been at least ten funerals. So please, tell me why you think I should believe you now?” Dani shot back, not as confidently as she would have liked.

Clint gripped her hand a little tighter at the warble in her tone, or maybe attempting to get her to shut up. To mitigate the damage. To make her look like less of an asshole in public, but there was no turning this ship around.

“If you’d have been around, you’d already have known,” Rochelle shot back, switch flipped into the venom Dani knew so well. “I don’t have anything to prove to you. I just thought I owed you advanced notice, you know, as your mother.”

Dani searched her eyes for any hint of a lie, any evidence of her usual dramatics, any twitch of her narcissistic tendencies. She found nothing but an emotion she hadn’t seen on her in over a decade: fear.

“I-I…” Dani spluttered, all words leaving her mind as the thoughts swirled.

She looked at Clint frantically, eyes wide as the realization started to set in. The ice-cold dread running through her veins was paralyzing, and she couldn’t seem to form words for the woman staring so expectantly at her. 

But even if her mother was telling the truth for once, what then? Was she just supposed to run into her arms, cry and forgive her?

Clint looked just as unsure, eyebrows knitted as he said, “I think we should go. You know the proper way to contact Dani if you need to.”

He quickly handed her the leash, helping her stand. Dani wasn’t sure if he saw something in her, spotted a tell or just didn’t like the situation, but no matter the reason, Dani was thankful to have Lucky tugging her in the opposite direction. Clint kept his arm wrapped around her protectively, eyes carefully watching where her mother had been.

At the next corner, Clint gently pried the leash out of her hands, as her feet fumbled in the wrong direction home. She let out the breath she’d been holding since she’d been hurried her away from the scene, though it came out as more of a gasp.

She could feel the concern radiating off Clint in waves.

As soon as Dani could get her fingers to cooperate, she pulled out her phone and hit her speed dial. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d called him out of the blue like this, but it was an emergency if there ever was one.

There might have been a greeting, but if there was, she’d missed it, asking as soon as the empty air hit the line, “Did you tell Rochelle where I was?”

“What? No, why would I?”

“I don’t know, Tony. She just ambushed me with Clint. We’re out by his place.”

She could hear him suck in a breath, muttered something about cancelling his next call to someone on the other end of the line.

“How the hell would she know about that? Did she do anything?”

“She… uh,” _said she was dying_ she wanted to say, but couldn’t get the words out. “There might have been a camera somewhere.”

Dani chewed on her thumbnail, trying to playback the scene in her head, just in case she missed something.

“I’ll get FRIDAY to look out for it. Are you OK?”

“Just rattled,” she mumbled. “Tony did sh… did it ever come up…” _that she’s dying?_ , she wanted to add.

“Did what ever come up?” he sounded as exhausted as she felt.

She’d pulled him from something important, and she felt terrible for making this his problem.

“Nothing,” Dani sighed, biting her lower lip closed as if to safeguard the secret.

“OK. I’ll look into this. Best case, we have a leak at SI that we can get rid of. Worst case, you’re being tracked.”

“Thanks, Tony,” she said, though both options sounded like the worst case.

Her brother hung up before she could process the silence at the other end of the line, holding the phone to her ear as Clint watched her from the corner of his eye. Realizing she had zoned out for a few seconds, she swiftly pocketed her phone, arm still stiff from being held in place. 

They were only ten minutes from the apartment building, but Dani found herself looking over her shoulder at every street corner. An itchy feeling settled below her skin like someone was watching her, like there was another camera she missed.

“They’re not following us,” Clint assured softly, hugging her a little tighter.

But that didn’t make her feel any better. This new invasion of privacy was wholly personal, and it felt like her safe pocket of Brooklyn had been tainted. 

Why would still come here all the way from Pittsburgh? That in itself was entirely out of character—another mark in the truth column.

Clint sat her down on the couch and threw an arm around her shoulders. Her head lolled against his collarbone effortlessly, silently.

“Do you want to talk about it?”

She didn’t even know what _it_ was.

Shaking her head, Dani buried her fingers into her scalp and scrubbed at her face. It was a futile attempt to stop the harsh pounding in her head. But it wasn’t going anywhere; it wasn’t really a physical pain. It was a culmination of years of being gaslit and called back and guilt-tripped.

Was this just like all of those other times? 

It sure didn’t feel much different from those 2 AM phone calls, or backhanded voicemails. Or the letters with no return addresses. Few and far between, all communication attempts from her mother had always had an ulterior motive; she just couldn’t figure out what this one was.

 _Buzz_.

Flipping her phone on, the text on screen made her heart drop, _It’s true. Don’t ask me how, but._ Dani was already flicking through the attachments, scanning the authentic-looking medical records for the estimate: four to six months to live.

She wordlessly passed the phone to Clint, watching as his face hardened at Tony’s note.

 _How do you want to handle this, kid?_ he’d tacked on at the end of the message.

The rabbit hole just kept going deeper, and every time she felt like she made progress, she ended up right back here—all self-pity and questions without answers.

Dani was convinced she was just going to wake up from this extended nightmare and find herself right back in Clint’s bed, thinking the worst thing she’d have to deal with today was a leak in a unit. 

It used to be the reverse. 

She used to wake up in Tony’s Malibu house and wonder when her mom would show up at the door and demand she come home. There was this constant state of impermanence, the kind that bled into every moment. She made celebrations null and void because she knew that her mom would walk through the door, and everything would be stripped from her grasp.

But she’d aged since then — grown up, too — and she knew better. 

Repeating the three truths she’d learned in their time together like a mantra: Mother was never mommy, words from her mouth weren’t the truth, and most importantly, home was never where she was. 

Did she care? Sure. Was she going to give her mother exactly what she wanted?

 _I don’t._ Dani wrote back to Tony, hitting the send button before she could second guess herself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, so this chapter was A LOT.  
> We're going to be wrapping up a lot of loose ends in this part of the series, so we're heading into some angsty territory.
> 
> Hope your week is going well! See you all next Friday/Saturday for the next update (featuring Nat and Wanda).


	4. Chapter 4

**July 13, 2015**

“Naaaaaat.”

Dani groaned, puffing breaths as she collapsed onto the training mat. She knew she had asked for a distraction in the form of exercise, but she hadn’t been betting on getting an ass-kicking instead. Her bruises had bruises, and suddenly she was regretting asking Nat over Sam.

Sam probably would have taken pity on her. But he also probably would have tried to get her to talk and boy, did she need to get her mind off things instead. 

Nothing had come from that meeting outside the cafe with her mother, which almost felt _worse_. The news hadn’t surfaced, and she hadn’t received a passive-aggressive death certificate in the mail. And somehow that made it all even more unbearable, the not knowing and the dread that came with waiting for the other shoe to drop. 

“Get up. No time to stay down,” the redhead shot back, nudging Dani’s foot with her own.

No time to think either, she tried to convince herself, climbing to her knees and brushing them off before taking hold of Nat’s offered hand. And back through the motions again; arms up, elbows in, eyes ahead. Back to the mat, up again, repeatedly until the movements felt fluid enough for the Russian’s liking. At which point, Dani collapsed onto the mat, pulling herself into some cool-down stretches.

“So what’s Clint getting up to in his spare time?” Nat asked, tossing Dani her water bottle from across the room.

“Who knows,” Dani sighed. “I don’t ask; he doesn’t tell.”

That was true, she didn’t know, but she could hazard a guess. As adamant as Clint was about taking a vacation from the Hawkeye mantle (and as thrilled as Kate was to take it on as the sole and rightful Hawkeye), Dani knew there was something else he’d been pulled into. 

He wasn’t nearly as restless as he should be, all things considering.

But she just added it to the list of things she didn’t want to think about and he didn’t want to talk about…something that was likely safer if she didn’t know, and anyway, she didn’t know if Nat even knew about whatever this new project was.

Dropping herself down to the mat, Nat sat across from Dani, giving her best older sister look —though today it verged more into motherly territory. She could read between the lines better than anyone in this building, and if she asked the question, it was likely because she was interested in how Dani would answer rather than the answer itself.

“That’s unlike you.”

Dani knew that tone; it was the _I know you don’t want to talk about it, but you probably should_ voice. She was well-versed in Nat’s arsenal of judgy looks.

“And what about you, Nat? You’ve been awfully wrapped up in work lately,” Dani shot back in a similar tone.

Nat’s lips tilted down in response, and rolling her eyes slightly, she conceded, “Fine. We’ll have drinks in our hands before we take this conversation up again.”

Dani got to her feet, pulling up her friend by the hand.

“And as much as I’d like to say it’s five o’clock somewhere, it’s only 9 AM,” Dani added with a smile and a light hip check. “So, consider that a promise.”

“What? No mimosas waiting for us back in your office? I’m insulted,” she quipped back with a smirk.

But they left it at that, both heading to opposite ends of the building to get started on work.

It ended up being a good thing they hadn’t started down that road, as Wanda came hobbling into the medical wing hours later, just before noon. Arm cradling her right rib, Dani was up on her feet and making mental notes of the likely suspects as soon as she spotted her.

“Natasha may have pushed a little harder than usual in training,” Wanda admitted bashfully. “And I may have thought I could keep up.”

“That’s alright, I’ll get you all patched up,” Dani said as she helped her up onto the exam table.

They went through the preliminary questions, pinpointing the pain as Dani tried to figure out exactly where it stemmed from.

“Do you have any siblings, Dani?” Wanda asked as Dani followed her ribs and gently prodded her back. “Besides Tony.”

“No,” Dani replied quietly. “I was an only child for most of my life.”

“What was that like?”

“Lonely sometimes,” she admitted. “But now we have our own little family here, I guess.”

Wanda smiled at that, hissing as Dani’s fingertips found the culprit —likely a small tear. She flitted over to her desk to scribble down some notes while they were fresh before resuming.

“I wanted to thank you.”

Dani’s brow furrowed before she could stop it as she looked up from her file, “Why?”

“Well, all three of you,” Wanda clarified, and Dani instantly understood. “I know I haven’t been the easiest to handle since I got here, but you three have been so welcoming. And I know Clint has been spending a lot of time with me, and I don’t want to make anything w—“

“Honestly, Wanda, it’s just what Clint does,” she smiled softly, pulling the Sokovian out of her rambles. “He cares about you. We all just want to make sure you feel safe and comfortable.”

Wanda nodded in response, though it seemed like there was more that she wanted to say. Dani tentatively reached over to pat Wanda on the shoulder, watching her reaction to make sure she wasn’t overstepping.

“I know we haven’t had much time to chat, but my door’s always open. We’re here for you, Wanda.”

Biting her lip, it looked like she was holding something back. Like something Dani had said had struck a chord in her. Dani could feel the hesitation radiating, filling up the room.

“Dani,” Wanda started, reaching for her hand, which in itself was a surprising gesture. “I am sorry about your mother.”

It was like the emotional dam she’d been building up all week broke in that instant. 

Mouth agape, Dani found herself struggling to find the words. The polite sort of words you use when you don’t want to vomit your problems all over someone that meant well. When they said something they _shouldn’t_ know, but with the best intentions.

The video footage hadn’t shown up on any news sites, and the story hadn’t hit social media, but Dani knew that whenever it did, the consequences wouldn’t be pretty. Still, she hadn’t told anyone what happened — not anyone beyond Tony (who totally hadn’t borrowed some medical records to confirm her mom’s claim) and Clint.

But despite that, despite the slew of intrusive thoughts and wonderings now seeping into the forefront, so too did a fresh layer of guilt. 

Unbeknownst to anyone, Dani had woken up every morning this week feeling guilty for not reacting. Not to the aftermath of Ultron, not to Pietro’s death, not to Clint’s recent lack of communication, or Nat’s break-up. Not to the crisis at hand, or the missions the team was still going out to — not even waking up every morning wondering if any of them would make it to dinner. 

Was she terrible? Desensitized? 

Was she broken?

Were _they_ broken?

Every day felt like her internal clock was inching closer to midnight, stomach acid eating away at her insides. Those thoughts were keeping her up at night— not that she needed any assistance on that front.

“I—“

Part of her wanted to chew Wanda out, to tell her off for snooping, but Dani didn’t have it in her. Se felt like she’d been caught in this lie by omission, this lie she’d been living with her whole life, and it terrified her. 

In some weird way, it felt better knowing that it wasn’t just her, Tony, and Clint in on this depressing little secret. One of the hundreds swarming through her brain. She hadn’t even had a chance to explain the situation to Nat, not knowing if she really should.

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said anything,” Wanda said, looking pained as she squeezed Dani’s hand slightly. “I just— I could feel it and—“

“No,” Dani said as firmly as she could. “No, it’s OK. That’s what family does, right? They’re honest with each other. Even when it’s hard to hear or face.”

Stormy eyes met Dani’s brown, and both were a little watery. 

Realizing the irony of her statement as the words lingered in the air a little too long, Dani turned away first. Quickly wiping at her cheeks, she closed Wanda’s open file on her desk.

Here she was, crying about a blood relative, a woman who was never a mother to her in her life, who was still around. The same woman she refused to see or talk to, even after she admitted she was dying. How could she sit here and cry like the woman on the exam table in front of her hadn’t already lost her entire family?

It felt like she had no right to this pain in her chest. 

She felt like a hypocrite.

“I’m sorry for getting weepy on you,” she added, eyes fixed firmly on the ground. “And I’m sorry if my thoughts have been a little loud lately.”

Shimmying off the table, Wanda hobbled over to Dani and gently took her hand in both of hers.

“You never have to apologize for that to me,” Wanda said quietly, and she knew she meant more than just the crying. “We all have our own pains, and I would never judge you for that. I just want you to know that I am here for you too because you’re right — we are family here.”

Dani was once again floored, open-mouthed and staring at the girl in front of her that was so outstandingly wise beyond her years. If she had words left to say, she would have tried to thank her, but all she could manage was a dim nod as Wanda walked out her office door and closed it behind her.

Collapsing into the chair behind her desk, she let the sob that she’d been holding in her throat out, cradling her head in her hands as she shook. 

All she wanted at that moment was Clint, hours away in Brooklyn or on some secret mission. Sure, she could try to call, but it wasn’t the same. And there was no guarantee he’d pick up. Even if he did, it wasn’t a warm hug or embrace, a gentle rocking, the drifting hands up and down her spine.

Instead, she pushed it back, breaking out a pocket mirror to check her make-up and filing Wanda’s folder away. 

By her clock, it was lunch, which meant she could sneak back to her room and hideout for the next hour in the hopes that maybe after that break, she could look and act somewhat normal. And perhaps by tomorrow she’d be less of a disaster and could pretend to be an average human being again and not a walking ball of guilt.

After double-checking for raccoon eyes, Dani made her way towards the residential wing, head down. She made it safely to her door, unlocking it only to find someone already inside, waiting for her at the foot of her bed.

“Jesus fucking Christ,” Dani gasped, hand over heart. “I thought we talked about you and the spy shit.”

“I brought a peace offering,” she said with a half-smile, waving a bottle of vodka that sloshed around in the glass. “I heard you might need it.”

Wanda. Apparently, she called reinforcements.

Dani closed the door behind her, staring at the redhead sitting there, lit only by the dim light pouring through the floor to ceiling window behind her. It felt almost familiar, them slinking away to some disused room to decompress with a bottle of alcohol between them, but somehow this felt sadder than usual.

Like a funeral for a person who hadn’t even died yet, who never even really existed.

“How much did she tell you?”

“Nothing,” Nat replied lightly. “Which, frankly, I respect. The question is: why didn’t _you_ tell me?”

Dani fidgeted with her hands, not wanting to meet those piercing green eyes. They could have gotten anything out of her; she knew that. There was no use lying to Nat.

“Because I feel like shit about it,” Dani said. “And you know I can’t drink right now, I still have work.”

“Your workday is over, friend. Cleared it with Hill.”

Staring at her in disbelief, she wanted to ask how the fuck she managed that, but it was Natasha after all, so Dani let it go in an instant.

“Then gimme,” Dani replied, making grabby hands towards the bottle.

Natasha was too classy for that, and this was far from their time splitting a bottle between them, after all. Pulling two tumblers from where she’d set them on the bed, she poured out a couple of fingers for each of them. After a quick clink of glasses, Dani gulped and winced at the smooth burn.

She couldn’t remember the last time they’d gotten day drunk together, but anything was better than feeling at this point, so she’d take the escape offered.

On one condition.

“We’re trading stories, right?” Dani asked, not wanting to be the only one spilling their guts.

A tilt of Nat’s head confirmed the deal, so Dani started.

“The woman who gave birth to me is dying —which I didn’t even believe at first, which I feel says a lot— and I still want nothing to do with her,” Dani said, swirling the vodka in her glass. 

Natasha didn’t respond, sipping slowly at the tumbler in her hand as she watched and waited, knowing there was more. The silence was pleasant, though, and the thought of getting this all off her chest was comforting too.

“And the worst part is, I should feel bad, right?” Dani asked no one in particular. “Like a normal person should feel guilty? But… there’s just nothing. Am I some sort of sociopath or something?”

The last line seemed to light something inside Nat, a rare, fiery look in her eyes as she emphatically shook her head.

“There’s nothing wrong with you, Dan. Your mother was not a good woman,” Nat said sharply. “Fuck her. You don’t have to cry at your egg donor’s death. And you sure as hell shouldn’t feel guilty over it.”

Dani’s voice came out smaller than she’d like, narrating the thoughts echoing in her head, “But she’s my mom.”

“But nothing. You don’t owe her anything for choosing to give birth and then not taking care of her child,” Nat seethed. “That’s a fucking responsibility — _a privilege_ — to have a child.”

Dani was starting to think she had struck a nerve, not remembering the last time Nat had been so visibly angry. Her whole body was rigid, eyes narrowed, and hand gestures harsh. She was starting to see that she had needed this as much as Dani did.

There was something she was struggling to let go of.

“Does this have to do with Bruce?” Dani asked, immediately regretting it with Nat’s slight wince at the name.

Her stomach dropped as the redhead nodded, emptying her glass in one mouthful and pouring them both another.

“I told him about graduation, about not being able to…” she trailed off knowing Dani could fill in that particularly painful blank. “And he fucking left. Like the coward he was.”

Reaching over to grasp her hand, Dani said firmly, “I’m so sorry,”

“I didn’t want his pity, and I don’t want yours. I just want to stop feeling like a monster,” Nat spat back, though less vicious than before. A little more broken.

“If you’re a monster, I am too.”

She watched as Nat mirrored her blurry eyes.

“You could never,” she sighed, giving Dani a hard look.

“Then don’t talk about my best friend like that,” Dani replied with a watery smile, playfully slapping Nat’s knee.

Nat responded with a twitch of her lip, eyes settling somewhere in the corner of the room. They both drained the rest of their glasses in silence, setting the empties on the bed as Dani leaned her head on Nat’s shoulder. It had been a long time since they’d had one of these days, trading stories and comfort. 

These little gut checks were something she’d missed, something that she’d lost getting sucked into the swirling thoughts in her head. It always amazed her how clear talking aloud could make things. 

Like Nat had just reached in and untangled all those intrusive thoughts for her.

“What are you anxious about?” Nat asked softly, breaking the pensive silence.

“There might have been a camera when she confronted me in public. I’m basically just waiting for the footage to drop at this point,” she admitted. “And then everyone else has to deal with it… Tony, Pepper, the team…”

There was a sense of recognition in those green eyes, like Dani’s words were meant for more than her alone. She nodded, no apology necessary as the weight of the whole thing settled in.

“And Clint?”

That was a whole other can of worms.

“Who fucking knows,” Dani conceded, not even wanting to go there right now.

“He tell you about his brother yet?”

“No.” She knew if there was a secret he kept from her, it was probably for a good reason. She knew that. But it didn’t make it hurt any less, and it didn’t stop her alcohol-loosened lips from spitting out the next part, “There’s probably a lot I don’t know.

Nat gave her a knowing look. This was the life they chose.

“What about you? What are you going to do about Steve?”

A flash of recognition crossed her face. Just a twitch. Just enough for Dani to know that her hunch was right.

“I don’t even know.”

Raising her glass, Dani tilted it in salute, “To not fucking knowing.”

“Here, here.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all are hanging in there! This week was a little rough for me, but it's been nice working on the tail-end of this series. A LOT happens between now and then, so buckle up.
> 
> See you all next week!


	5. Chapter 5

**September 7, 2015**

Dani got the call on a Monday.

The one that announced her mother had died at Metro General. The one asking her what she wanted to do with the body because she was still listed as next of kin.

Well, only because the former partners listed before her on her medical records deferred responsibility.

They rattled off some details on the other end of the line. The morgue hours, the contact information they had on file, the likely cause of death listed from the officers that had been on scene. It all passed in a blur, Dani barely heard anything over the _whoosh_ of blood in her eardrums and the pounding in her head.

She stared blankly out at the New York City skyline, having moments of wondering where she was again. Because this was just a dream, she was sure of that. She was going to wake up in bed, sweating and crying like all those other nights and roll over and try the whole sleep thing again.

A note from the attorney in her file, a mention of a will. Her focus was hazy at best, punctuating whatever was on the other end of the line with polite “mhms,” but somehow, Dani could have repeated the details word-for-word. Somehow her mind was hellbent on searing this moment into her memory.

Future nightmare fodder, she’d bet.

As sure as she was that this was all just a dream, some extremely vivid nightmare, Dani didn’t wake up at the dial tone.

“She’s dead,” it was just above a whisper, but there was this finality to this that Dani couldn’t quite process. Those two words felt so hollow on her lips, and she had wondered if saying them aloud would _feel_ right or if she’d even feel anything at this point.

It was supposed to be Labour Day. The people laughing and chatting across the deck were celebrating, eating, and drinking. A swirl of red, white and blue as Dani’s eyes whipped around, trying to find a familiar face. While the plate that had been in her hand slipped to the concrete floor of the Stark Tower balcony, at the party she was supposed to be enjoying, she didn’t cry.

And when Steve rushed over with a furrowed brow and downturned lips, she knew he had heard her.

He carefully plucked the phone from her ear, screen black and call long disconnected, and looped a strong arm around her waist, guiding her inside past the crowd and towards a quiet corner.

Steve might have said something, might have whispered comforting words and phrases or apologies, but Dani didn’t hear it. She didn’t hear anything beyond the faraway thumps of the stereo system outside and beating of her heart. As Dani sat herself down on a couch, Steve kneeled down in front of her, trying to coax her into meeting his eyes. Knuckles white, she gripped his offered hand before Clint’s bright ocean eyes came into view.

He kneeled down in front of her, hand on her thigh.

“Dani? Dan?” his voice was garbled by the noise, but the familiar calloused hand on hers brought her back to him. “Hey, darlin’, it’s going to be alright.”

This had been a dream. Not so long ago, Dani had _dreamed_ of this moment, like it would be some life-changing experience in her existence. Like she’d feel free, lighten the load she’d been carrying on her shoulders since childhood and maybe live a somewhat normal life.

And unbeknownst to most, she’d spent just as many nights, unable to sleep with those thoughts, feeling like a monster. Like the monster her mother had made her, she’d sometimes try to justify. But it ate away at her like acid in her belly, the hatred and vengeance and guilt.

And now, for what?

“She’s dead.”

It felt like an echo. The voice seemed to come from across the room, Dani couldn’t even feel her tongue form the words. It sounded so stupid out loud. The worst way to dumb down the whole situation, and now she couldn’t even cry. She was that monster again. That’s all they were going to see her as.

Panic coiled in her chest, shallow breaths the only thing able to pass from her lungs as she hunched over and cradled her head. White knuckles shook on the hand gripping Steve’s. There were more shuffles and whispers she couldn’t quite make out. She could feel Clint’s eyes darting around her, looking for any sign of life or discomfort.

Another set of hands was on her arm, making her flinch, but Dani couldn’t entirely tilt her head up to identify who they belonged to, still trying to keep her breathing steady.

“Kid, I’m going to get you to come with me.”

Tony.

Shakily, she got to her feet, loosening her vice grip on Steve as Clint supported her weight and led her down a long hallway with Tony. Her brother slid aside a wood panel to reveal a windowless office, with a settee and a full bar against the wall.

The clunk of ice hitting the bottom of the tumblers was the only sound first, followed closely by the pouring of Tony’s secret stash of vintage bourbon. Dani automatically brought the amber liquid to her lips, draining half the glass in one burning go.

She hoped it would steady the jingles of ice against her glass.

“Her estate has enough money to cover the medical bills and a ‘ _modest funeral_ ,’” Dani tossed into the room like it was the only thing that stuck out to her in the whole conversation. The bitter realization that in death, she’d have lived more comfortably than Dani had her entire life with her.

Wonder which boyfriend she scammed that money out of, she thought bitterly.

“You don’t have to worry about those boyfriends anymore,” Clint assured softly from beside her.

Did she say that last part out loud? Wide eyes met Tony’s as he nodded.

“Hey, it’s OK. It’s a lot to process,” Tony soothed. “No judgement in this room, kid. Us three probably have the most in common in the _piece-of-shit parental figure_ department — no offence, Barton.”

“None taken,” he replied gruffly.

They both watched her, not expectantly, but more out of an abundance of caution. And she caught them shooting each other worried glances, wondering how she would handle the grief. Whether she was going to toss things across the room, or shut down or sob.

Dani wanted to do none of those things, and she wished there was some way she could assure them she wasn’t going to go off the rails. Her mother didn’t deserve that kind of reaction.

She didn’t deserve anything.

“I don’t want to throw her a funeral,” she blurted as if setting ground rules for the rest of this awkward conversation. “I don’t want to see her, I don’t want to go, and I don’t want to have to pretend.”

Pretend to care, pretend to be sad, pretend to be the grieving daughter. She’d been the grieving daughter her whole life, mourning the person her mother should have been, could have been. Was that a thing? Mourning a life she’d never had or known?

“And I don’t want her money,” she spat out.

Clint and Tony didn’t say anything, though they traded looks from across the room. The panel entrance to the bar cracked open, and Pepper popped her head in.

Tony waved her into the room, “Pep, come on in.”

Carefully sitting on the couch on the other side of Dani, Pepper crossed her legs at her ankles in her usual poise and perfection. She may have been in shorts and a t-shirt for the casual holiday get-together, but she looked just as much of the businesswoman she always did, and suddenly Dani was happy she was on her side.

A gentle hand on her knee and no apologies. The facts washed over her slowly, tightening the tension in her chest and kicking her heart into overdrive. They _knew_. They knew, and they swept her aside out of the view of prying eyes, and they weren’t judging her for not being sad.

It was like a shared responsibility, a duty and a bit of a burden. This was her family — her _real_ family — in action, protecting their own.

“Dan, you tell me whatever you decide to do, and I’ll make sure it gets done, OK? How about you take this week off and just process things?” Pepper offered gently. “The team will be fine this week without you on-site.”

Dani nodded numbly, trying to think of any reason she’d have to not take that offer.

“I-I have to call back by tonight with an answer about what to do w-with…” Dani mumbled, taking in a shaky breath as she remembered the phone conversation, “with the body.”

“Honey, if you need more time—“

“I don’t,” Dani asserted, holding Pepper’s hand firmly. “No funeral. She can be buried in her plot, and it can be announced in her local paper back in Pittsburgh.”

“It’s more than she deserves,” Tony scoffed, breaking the neutral visage he’d slapped on for the brief moment. “What are you going to do with the estate?”

Pepper’s brow furrowed, shooting Tony a less than kind look.

“Tony, it’ll take the lawyers time to set that all up. Dani doesn’t have to decide now,” she chided.

But Dani’s mind was already made up.

“Sell whatever she left to me,” she resolved. “Donate the money to some of the women’s shelters and organizations that helped me when…”

Dani kept rubbing her hands together, trying to wash the grimy feeling off her palms. She was so wrapped up in her head that when Clint’s hands reached over to stop her restless ones, she jumped in her seat. He placed a soft kiss on her shoulder in apology, soft, soothing whispers in her ear.

“Of course, Dani,” Pepper soothed softly, making it clear she didn’t have to continue down that path. “Do you want me to get that all set up for you?”

Lifting her head, neck creaking from the shift and strain of her hunched shoulders, she nodded at Pepper, “Thank you.”

“It’s nothing. The least I can do,” Pepper said quietly before looking to the tired man sitting across from her. “Tony.”

His eyes lifted wearily to meet hers, giving a curt nod as he lifted himself out of the leather armchair. A soft grip of her shoulder and a quiet, “Stay as long as you need to” later, it was just Clint and Dani in a room she didn’t know existed before today.

Clint seemed to brace himself as the panel closed, looking at Dani with those beautiful blues, concern radiating off him, and all Dani could do was pull back the only question lingering in her mind at the end of all that.

“Am I a bad person?” she was scared to ask the question, terrified of knowing the answer.

He looked almost relieved at her question, his body easing back into its usual lines as he scooted towards he could wrap his arms around her.

Kissing her forehead and tilting his head against hers, he answered softly, “No. You’re not a bad person for not wanting to go out of your way to celebrate a bad person, Dan.”

If she thought really hard, her mother wasn’t all bad, Dani tried to reason. There were occasional birthday gifts and road trips (usually running from whatever city she hadn’t paid the bills in for months); there were some compliments and ‘I’m proud of yous.’ There were hugs after nightmares and occasional packed lunches.

There were a whole lot of secrets and even more aftermath.

Dani drained the rest of her glass numbly, Clint’s already empty as well.

“Can we go to your place?”

If she was going to break, if this wall was going to crumble, she didn’t want it to be here when it did. The longer she sat with her thoughts, the worse it got.

“Of course, Dan.” He nodded, “Lucky will be glad to see you.”

Clint helped her off the couch, waiting for the blood to finish rushing to her head at the movement. He looked concerned at her wobbling but didn’t say anything. Natasha and Wanda were waiting outside the door to the room, cautious and waiting for Dani to speak first.

“I’m fine,” she said more to convince herself than the pair who had definitely come to their own conclusions.

Nat pulled Dani into a hug first, Wanda rubbing her shoulder comfortingly.

“You’ll be fine, love,” Nat whispered into her shoulder. “We’re all here for you.”

Dani could only nod, words trapped in her throat as she pulled away and glanced outside. The party was still in full force, attendees blissfully unaware of the depressing display happening just behind the glass. Dani could hear Natasha murmuring in Clint’s ear, watched him nod and give her a solemn look with a slight squeeze before they set off towards the elevator.

Dom was home with his family today, so Michael was waiting for them outside the usual black SUV parked in front of the building. Her phone was pinging off the hook by the time they slid into the back seat. Clint was ready to tear the phone from her grip, but her eyes were glued to the posts pouring in.

> _@d.fisher is it true ur mom died?_
> 
> _Bet @d.fisher won’t even cry @ her mom’s funeral. She completely abandoned her only family for Stark._
> 
> _Did you read that interview in the Post with @d.fisher’s mom? Ungrateful af Bit.ly/w185bs9_
> 
> _10000% sure the Starks won’t even comment on this. Disgusting @d.fisher_

“How do they already know?”

She shouldn’t have been so surprised that her mom wasn’t willing to go down without a fight. Of course, she would have set off this chain of events like some boobie trap.

One final kick at the can, some feeble attempt to keep her memory firmly alive.

Dani dropped her phone like it burned her. It fell onto the back seat of the car, mercifully screen-down, but Clint grabbed it and turned it on silent, placing it carefully in his lap. Reaching over, he took both of her hands in his, and she tried hard to just focus on that.

“I think you might need to turn off notifications for a while,” he said knowingly, brushing his thumb against her cheeks.

Dani hadn’t even realized she was crying, salty tears dripping onto her outstretched arm. Looking to Clint, like he’d be able to explain her current emotional break, she was met with those unwaveringly honest eyes, red-rimmed already.

“I’m sure Pepper’s already on a response.” He tried to assure her, she knew that, but they were just words. They weren’t going to change what people thought of her, and trust her, she’d heard everything over the last year and a half of being public.

Gold-digger, incestuous affair, frigid bitch, Hydra plant, Avengers groupie.

Ungrateful daughter.

Somehow that one hurt most. Maybe it was just a million papercuts layered over each other. But somehow, having the public feed into this particular voice inside Dani — one that had been around so long it should have been paying rent —hurt worst of all.

The whole day fed into this narrative she had already been well on her way towards.

There were two photographers outside Clint’s building, one looked like the same person her mom had ambushed her with months back. Michael pulled up out front and opened the door for them, blocked as much of their view of them as possible. Dani didn’t even know if her face was capable of expression right now, unable to feel much of anything as Clint rushed her into the building.

They were only a few steps past the door when Clint pressed a finger to his ear.

“Yeah?” he paused, waiting for a response. “Yeah, we’re here. There were only two outside, so we’re fine.”

“Tony?” she mouthed, and he nodded.

“Yeah, she’ll be fine here. Just have Dom shoot me a text when he gets here in case he sets off the alarm again. Don’t want to accidentally pull my bow on him,” Clint muttered. “Keep us posted.”

“He shouldn’t have to come,” Dani started, feeling guilty for pulling Dom from his family.

“He called Tony to offer,” Clint explained. “And I think we’re all more comfortable having him around right now. You know how crazy the media can get.”

She did. But it didn’t help the guilt pooling in the put of her stomach at everyone having to drop everything and help her. Again.

“Hey,” Clint said, trying to get her attention as she started to zone out. “We’ll get through this. This is nothing compared to the PR shit show Pepper’s been dealing with all year. She’s probably thankful for a break from that.”

Dani couldn’t quite bring a smile to her face but nodded numbly at Clint’s attempt at cheering her up. He led her to the couch, bringing a blanket and laying it over the two of them. She was beyond words, Clint knew that, so he settled for physical comfort instead. Fists balled into his t-shirt, he reached over to sit her on his lap, caging her in strong arms and occasional soft, trailing kisses.

“What about the building?” Dani asked, suddenly worried about the security risk to his tenants.

“Kate’s in the area,” he explained with a proud twist of his lips. “She’s all too happy to help if someone gets out of line outside. Can I do anything to help, Dan?”

She bit her lip, “Can you… can you just talk?”

Something about the rumble in his chest as he spoke comforted her—familiar voice drowning out the thoughts screaming in her skull.

A flash of understanding in his eyes, Clint smoothed her hair and tucked his face in the crook of her neck, lightly kissing the junction.

“Of course, darlin’. Did I ever tell you about the time…” he started with a funny story that Hill probably didn’t find as amusing.

He told her a little more of his childhood and mentioned his brother and his penchant for finding trouble in strange places. He talked about anything and everything that got a reaction out of her. He settled for a lot of quiet chuckles and raised eyebrows. She’d never been more thankful for his gracious hold, reverent glances or the way Clint knew just how to soothe her restless mind.

It wasn’t long before Lucky hopped onto the couch with them, setting his head on Dani’s lap, earning him a smooch on the head and ear scratches.

Cell stored safely upstairs, out of reach, Dani didn’t notice when Clint’s phone vibrated in his pockets. She didn’t hear the footsteps in the hallway, or Michael moving in the shadows on the fire escape. All she knew was that she was with Clint, and she was safe.

And she would have to take this one day at a time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi all! Hope you're hanging in there. Thanks so much for reading this beast of a series.
> 
> Next chapter features Sam and Wanda as we start heading towards our next crossover... which might not be the one you expect. More hints in Chapter 7.


	6. Chapter 6

**October 6, 2015**

4 AM seemed to come quicker every morning. Dani couldn’t remember the last time she’d woken up with the sun already in the sky. It’d been easy enough to pass off as a healthy habit, especially since she was alternating week-to-week upstate and Brooklyn. And between early morning runs and training, she _was_ in the best shape of her life.

Physically, at least.

Emotionally was a whole other ballgame. The best descriptor Dani could come up with was raw. Like every nerve in her was exposed, and even a gentle breeze would send her spiralling. But she managed to keep it mostly under wraps, under sore muscles from workouts and the brief moments in private when she’d let go.

At least she wasn’t drinking —not like Tony did.

A lot was bubbling to the surface, beyond the graveside service she didn’t attend and the estate she wanted nothing to do with. Beyond the nasty letters and postcards she’d received from people back home, and the barrage of social media posts from people she’d never know.

Yesterday had been her last day at her office in Brooklyn. After the media meltdown with her mom’s post-mortem accusations, Dani’s patient list had dwindled down to just a handful of occasionals at her private practice. It wasn’t enough to keep the lights on, but she’d thankfully set aside enough to offer her receptionist severance. 

The entire office was currently boxed up in a room in Stark Tower, the one Tony had set aside for her in case she ever took him up on his offer. And it would act as her satellite office for anyone who decided to stay on her roster going forward. 

It had been bittersweet packing up her things and staring at the empty space of her own. Well, it had been her own. Built from the ground up and torn down in under a year. 

It still surprised her how quickly things could burn down with the right kind of fire.

Dani didn’t seem to have that same spark anymore, and every bed was starting to feel the same, whether she woke up alone in the compound like this morning or between Clint’s sheets in Bed Stuy. Cold, bare, uncomfortable enough to keep her up at night —not that she needed help with that. 

She used to be so good alone, so strong on her own. What happened to that woman? When did she become so dependant on others, and why did it make her feel so weak?

But even so, this morning felt unusually empty. The immediate sense of dread felt like a weight in the pit of her stomach. If she hadn’t had a sparring session with Sam, she probably would have rolled over and given up on the day before it started. She wouldn’t let down Sam, though. Not when he’d add it to his likely running list of questionable behaviours that warranted a one-on-one. And Dani wasn’t quite ready for that.

She slipped on some athletic wear and headed down to one of the compound’s many training rooms just as the clock clicked 05:00. Deep breath, push back the thoughts, open the door. 

Don’t forget to smile.

“Good morning, sunshine,” she said in her best sing-song voice.

Sam was even grumpier in the morning than Clint was most days, and that was saying something. He mumbled a half-hearted “morning” and resumed wrapping his hands. Most of their sessions would start like this, quiet at first until their competitive sides kicked in, and they made their best superhero fight impression. 

Y’know, with the banter and the sass? Sam got a lot of his practice in during their one-on-ones.

“Wanna warm up with some holds?” Sam offered as she finished wrapping her hands.

“I think that’s the most words I’ve heard out of you before 6 AM,” Dani quipped with raised brows.

Sam rolled his eyes, “I’ll take that as an enthusiastic yes.”

They started with the easy stuff; front-facing arm grabs, chokeholds, and a couple blind holds from behind. This was the only part of the training that felt easy to Dani, when she could just let her body go through the motions Clint and Nat had ingrained in her for years, now. 

Her confidence grew with every whoosh of air out of Sam’s mouth as he hit the floor.

She was pretty sure he was starting to regret offering.

“OK, OK,” Sam said in concession, wiping sweat off his brow. “Floor holds, and then we’ll get to the good stuff?”

“You got it.”

Sam and Dani had been through this routine a dozen times in the past few weeks, the escapes, the grappling, a little roughhousing, and some cool-down cardio and stretches. So, as usual, Dani sat on the mat, settling down on her back with her arms above her head. Sam straddled her, his hands encircling her wrists and holding them against the ground.

The move itself was smooth; buck her hips up, off-set his balance and then use the newly-gained leverage to incapacitate him by any means — she tried not to go for the jewels, but sometimes it happened. There was a reason he wore a cup to these sessions. And while Sam always wanted to challenge her during their training, this was as routine as they got.

But as soon as Dani’s wrists hit the mat, something felt wrong. 

The room went sideways, and Dani screwed her eyes shut. The piercing ringing in her ears wouldn’t settle as she looked up for the source. Suddenly, it wasn’t Sam looking down at her, it was Rumlow, eyes alight as he pinned her to the mat. 

Dani’s blood ran cold as she stared up in shock. This couldn’t be real. She had to be imagining this. But that smirk, that face, those cold eyes. She’d never forget every detail of them or how they sent chills down her spine while every nerve ending in her body burned.

“ _Did you miss me, Fisher? Still slacking, I see._ ”

No matter what she did, Dani couldn’t get the words out of her mouth to call for help, to ask what he was doing there. Couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t think. Every square inch of oxygen in her was trapped in her lungs, and the only sound she could make was a whimper.

“ _You can take this, Fisher. You can take anything, I’d bet._ ”

He shifted his grip to hold both of her hands in one of his. Her wrists felt like they were going to snap in his vice, and Dani thrashed in his hold. She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to block out the wandering fingertips alternating with the sharp shooting pain from the punches to her sides. 

Tears streamed down her face as she struggled, swinging her hips in an attempt to maneuver away from her attacker.

“DANI!”

Blinking at the unfamiliar voice, it was like the whole vision washed away in that instant. Dani scrambled backwards, panting and scooting away from where she’d been held and stared at where the call had come from.

The room looked just like it had when she stepped in to train that morning, save for Sam on the mat across from her and Wanda at the door, looking ragged and still dressed in her pyjamas. It looked like she was afraid to come in, hands resting on her thighs as she tried to catch her breath.

“Wanda?” Dani’s voice crackled, raw and broken.

“I heard you,” Wanda said softly through breaths, voice tight. “I thought you were in trouble, s-so I came running. Was… was that…?”

Sam looked severe as he followed Dani’s gaze. He looked over his shoulder at the Sokovian and said gently, “Wanda, I think I’ve got this. You should get some rest.”

Dani tried to put the pieces together, wiping her cheeks to find tears, watching her still-shaking hands, and even lifting her shirt to see if there were bruises from the punches she was sure she felt. But there was nothing on her ribs: no blue and purple watercolour, no marks on her wrists, no Rumlow.

She really _was_ losing it.

Letting her hands fall limply to the ground below, she looked up at Sam and tried to hold back the fresh tears that were already forming, “I’m so sorry.”

“Hey,” Sam soothed, inching forward but staying about a yard away as he surveyed her. “You’re safe, everything’s fine. No one else is here, it’s just you and me.”

Sam kept his voice low as he narrated his own breathing; it was hard to keep up. The little breaths she could manage were shuddering gasps. But with his patient guidance, Dani levelled out after a few minutes. Enough to where she could mutter a quick, “thanks” and sniffed to clear the congestion.

Sam rolled over her water bottle, leaning his elbows against his knees as he sat in front of her. His foot barely brushed her knee in the process, and she flinched slightly, apologizing again, “Still jumpy.”

“This is normally when you’d do your annual, right?” Sam asked after a moment of silence. “Cap mentioned it once.”

“Yeah, that probably has something to do with it… Crazy how I didn’t even remember it, but… It was Rumlow, by the way. That whole thing,” Dani gestured vaguely towards the mat. “I thought you were him.”

“That asshole from DC?” Sam asked, voice a little rougher.

The one who escaped custody two weeks ago? Yeah, Sam knew precisely who Dani meant, even if he didn’t say it out loud. She would’ve been able to tell from his body language alone how his spine straightened at the mention, bristling slightly. 

Steve had let it slip to her and Clint that he was missing out of an abundance of caution —Clint nearly punched a hole in the wall at the news. But Rumlow and Dani’s dealings back at SHIELD were on a strict need-to-know, and she wasn’t about to tell Sam she knew intel leagues above her clearance level.

“He was in charge of training at SHIELD,” Dani explained, too tired to seethe. “Beat the shit out of me in front of a few dozen agents and called it an evaluation. He was probably the one who gave my opponent a loaded gun during a demo too. But that was a year later.”

Wide, unblinking eyes stared back at her in shock, “You weren’t even a field agent.”

“It was part of the job. Mandatory,” Dani shrugged. She could see the guilt on his face and wondered briefly if he was worried about training with her. “It’s not your fault, Sam. You didn’t do anything. I’m… I’m just really fucked up right now if that wasn’t obvious,” Dani reassured with a sad smile, lips quivering as she let go of the tears blurring her eyes.

Sam carefully scooted forward, watching her for any signs of discomfort before gently reaching for her left hand and holding it in both of his. 

“You’re not fucked up, Dani. You’re going through trauma. That can bring up all sorts of shit.”

Dani chuckled humourlessly as tears rolled down her cheeks and onto the floor below, “Don’t I know it.”

Taking a sip of water, she tried to ignore his up and down gaze, looking for any sign of anything _else_ he’d have to report to Steve. She knew she’d end up back in his office before the end of the week at this rate, try for another heart-to-heart while he lied to her about where her boyfriend was.

You know, typical spy stuff.

“How were you when you woke up this morning?” Sam asked. “Any indication?”

“I felt a little off this morning. Like anxious almost? But I’ve just been kind of on edge lately, a little numb,” Dani admitted, turning her attention to the laces of her running shoes in an attempt to avoid eye contact.

“Any of this have to do with your mom, you think?” Thinking better of it, Sam quickly added, “Sorry, you don’t have to talk about it.”

But Dani shook her head, no use in lying to the person she’d just broken down in front of.

“It’s just weird that she’s gone…” _and I don’t feel anything_ , she wanted to add.

“I’m sorry you had to go through all that with the press and everything,” Sam replied, squeezing her hand slightly. “It’s been a rough month for you. I know you’ve been trying to channel it into this, but maybe this is your body telling you to take a break and face it head-on.”

Dani nodded numbly, knowing he didn’t mean quitting training altogether — she was actually a little thankful for that. “Yeah. I think you’re right. It’s probably time for me to get some help.”

“I know someone who works with people like us if you need a referral?” he offered.

She laid her hand over his and squeezed, “That’d be great, Sam. Thank you. And, I’m sorry for freaking out on you.”

“That’s not on you, Dani,” Sam brushed off with a shake of his head. “And I’m always here. I’m told I have a pretty decent crying shoulder if you ever need one.”

Dani chuckled, “Save them for all the ladies whose hearts you’re going to break once you start going steady with Misty.”

Picking at the fabric around her hands with her teeth, she began to unravel it onto the floor below.

“Hey! I do not need another gossip around here,” Sam shot back with a bashful grin. “Steve is bad enough, man.”

Sam tossed her a towel as she wiped herself down and rested it around her shoulders to catch the drips from her hair. Sniffing back the last of the tears and snot, Dani rubbed at her cheeks with the palms of her hand.

“You good?” She took hold of Sam’s outstretched hand, pulling herself up.

“Yeah,” Dani confirmed, still a little breathless. “I think I’m going to find Wanda and apologize if she’s still up.”

Sam nodded, already halfway through removing his hand wraps when he shot some wisdom out of the side of his mouth, “Take it easy on yourself, girl. I know you live and work with a bunch of superhero masochists, but you can’t hold the world on your shoulders forever.”

Dani didn’t know what to say that, tucking it away for a further think later.

Rounding the corner, she could see Vision standing just outside Wanda’s door down the hall, red face contrasting with the white button-up he was wearing. Dani smiled, knowing he and Wanda were pretty close. She’d caught them a few times in the kitchen giggling over the island —well, Wanda was laughing, and Vision looked pretty pleased with himself.

She was only a few yards away when Vision gave her a nod and explained to an unseen Wanda, “I think Dani would like to talk to you.”

He floated down the hall —Dani still wasn’t used to that— just as she reached the doorjamb. Wrapped in a pile of blankets, Wanda sat at the edge of her bed, and Dani’s stomach lurched at the pain etched in her expression. _She_ had caused that with her fucked up memories, she realized. Wanda didn’t deserve to be sucked into her nightmare.

“Wanda, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to bring you into…whatever that was.”

“I told you, you never have to apologize to me. Especially not for that,” Wanda said, concern etched on her face. “I was more worried about you. Are you OK?”

“I uh, had a talk with Sam. I’m going to talk to someone about it,” Dani bit down on her lip, unsure how to phrase the next part. Fighting her nerves, she sat down on the carpet in front of Wanda’s bed, putting her hand over the Sokovian’s, “Can I ask you something?” 

“Of course,” she nodded.

Dani bit her lip and took a deep breath, “Did you see everything I did?”

Wanda squeezed Dani’s hand and nodded, “Was that the man who escaped two weeks ago? The Hydra agent?”

Of course, Wanda would be straight with her. It was almost a relief to know someone else would have warned her, would have assumed she’d known, but Dani doubted that was the only secret Sam was keeping from her.

“Yeah, Rumlow,” Dani confirmed bitterly. “He wasn’t the best coworker.”

Wanda’s eyes darkened, and Dani knew then that she had probably _felt_ everything within her nightmare scene.

“You shouldn’t have had to experience that,” Dani said apologetically. “Probably not the best way to wake up, huh?”

“I should have been able to block it,” Wanda admitted. “It just felt so much like a real cry for help that I had to make sure for myself.”

A cry for help. Was that what it had been? Was that what Clint and Nat had seen in person that day years ago now? Was that what drove Clint to seek revenge?

Is that what she was radiating now?

“Do you want some tea? Maybe I can prepare some for both of us while you shower,” Wanda offered with a soft smile, seeming to catch on to her train of thought.

Dani looked at her, grateful. There was really no other word for the sense of security she had with Wanda. 

“Are you saying I smell?” Dani joked, knowing full well she was sweaty and gross post-workout. “That sounds great, Wanda. Thank you.”

They’d spoken a lot the past few months, early mornings to late nights, just talking, laughing, drinking. Nat joined them sometimes too, sometimes Clint when he was in town —though that was becoming few and far between these days.

“It’s nothing,” she dismissed.

But to Dani, it felt like the world.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In this house, we love and appreciate supportive friends and found families. 
> 
> Hope you're all doing well! Thanks so much for reading 💜


	7. Chapter 7

**December 24, 2015**

“Did I miss brunch?” 

Kate Bishop walked into Dani’s suite like she was late to a meeting, eyes wide and staring at the only occupants before reevaluating her question, “Oh god, are we _those_ people now? People who brunch?”

Clint barely looked up from his phone at her latest existential crisis as he flipped a pancake with his other hand. He was clearly unsurprised at her quip and tardiness. Dani snorted and pulled the last slice of bread out of the toaster before dusting off her hands. The kitchen was hot and sticky from a morning of prep, but the plates were out, and the table was set.

Hawkeye (Kate) would be on patrol tonight, so they had to sneak in time together. And if Dani had learned anything about heroes, a free meal was as good an incentive as any to get Kate to stop by Avengers Tower.

“Kate, would you ever say no to bottomless mimosas?” Dani questioned as she raised a bottle of champagne, lip quirking up.

Tilting her head in concession, she waved her hands in surrender. 

“I take it all back. Brunch me. Brunch me hard.”

Dani chuckled and took her coat, just a light wool number with buttons. Thought the weather outside was more spring than winter, it was Christmas Eve nonetheless, and Dani was feeling surprisingly festive. She’d even convinced Clint to buy a mini tree for his apartment, tiny baubles and tinsel hung from it’s Charlie Brown limbs.

But today, they were in her suite at the Tower, since Tony was hosting his usual dinner upstairs. Dani’s place was a little barer, the only hint of the holiday a Santa hat from last year hanging off the couch. 

In her defence, they had been spending most of their time in Brooklyn lately.

“So I didn’t bring you gifts—“

“Shocker,” Clint snorted.

“—But I did bring myself, and that’s almost as good, right?” she waited for a beat. “I’m kidding, I brought some goodies from Burrow. Don’t ask how,” Kate added with an ‘I know a guy’ grin.

Dani was not about to look a pastry gift horse in the mouth, so she accepted the white box she pulled out of her duffel bag with a smile and a good-natured, “You’re my hero.”

Kate looked a little proud at that comment, taking a seat at the dining room table where half of breakfast was already laid out. Clint brought over the last of the pancakes, pulling Kate into a half-hug, and they dug in. 

“So, how’s Hawkeyeing going?” Clint asked lightly, mischief in his eyes.

“Really? It’s Christmas Eve, and you want to talk about work?” Kate sighed dramatically and looked at Dani for some support. “ _Quelle surprise_.”

Dani managed a half-smile at Kate’s bristling, realizing she knew it was a sensitive subject. Not so much her going out and doing Hawkeye things, but the tense air around just what Clint had been up to in his ‘free time.’ She’d caught them mid-tiff a few times in the past few months, and while they had both declared a truce, for now, it was still a touchy subject. 

Dani shuffled a piece of bacon around her plate, trying to pretend she didn’t feel Clint watching her expression. Like she couldn’t handle the concern radiating from across the table.

But, in truth, Dani also wanted to know a little more about what Kate did behind the scenes and on the dark rooftops of the city. It wasn’t like Clint was going to be talking about his own work anytime soon, so she was happy to let Kate lead the conversation and change the subject.

“Are you expecting a busy night tonight?” Dani asked to Clint’s immediate relief.

Kate, however, grimaced. Dani wasn’t sure if it was because she really didn’t want to talk about work or remembered previous experiences. 

“In all the years I’ve been doing this, I don’t think I’ve ever had a quiet holiday,” Kate replied. “Especially with what’s been going on in the city lately.”

It had been a busy few months. It seemed like every week, a new vigilante popped up around the city, often doing more harm than good. Or, at least, that’s what it felt like. It was hard to trust the media’s reports with Dani’s previous experience with them.

She tended to take every headline with a generous serving of salt these days.

Clint nodded, sipping his black coffee and murmuring, “Did you hear about the bulletproof guy out in Harlem? They’re calling him ‘Harlem’s Hero.’”

“And then there’s Spider-Man,” Kate added, biting into a slice of toast.

“Sam was telling me there’s an Ant-Man too? Though he wouldn’t tell me where he got that tip.”

Clint looked at her with a glint in his eyes, like she’d just given him some ammunition for later.

“Ugh, bugs,” Kate groaned. “Black Widow is the only exception to that reaction.”

Dani snickered, tucking that one away for a future conversation about an arachnid-themed team-up with the spy.

“And don’t forget Frank Castle,” Clint groused, gesturing towards the newspaper sitting on the kitchen counter. “They’re still looking for him.”

His mug had been plastered all over the news for the past few weeks—a full-on manhunt in Manhattan. 

Chewing her last bite of pancake, Dani mused, “Sounds like a mess.”

“New York’s overrun,” Clint agreed.

Between the motley crew of new vigilantes, now Castle and the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen, there’d been a lot to keep track of…and that was just what _she_ knew. She felt the rest of the Avengers kept a close eye on those kinds of interactions, but she wasn’t privy to those kinds of talks.

“It’s like anyone thinks they can be a superhero these days,” Kate huffed. “They don’t even have _uniforms_ half the time. Slap a bulletproof vest on, and suddenly every asshole thinks they can dish out some vigilante justice.”

Clint looked over at her with raised brows, “I don’t know if you have any right to judge here, Kate. Are you forgetting how you got your shot? Before the title?”

Kate shrugged and quickly changed the subject, regaling them with a tale of Doreen Green and her pet squirrel. _Squirrel Girl_. It was original if nothing else. Dani stared incredulously as Kate told her some stories from the street, but the dark expression that Clint had on his face at the mention of Castle didn’t fade, and he stayed pretty quiet throughout Kate’s storytelling.

“Are you OK?” Dani asked quietly after Kate had left. “You seem a little off.”

She cleared the last plate from the table, rearranging the dishwasher as he dried some of the larger cookware. He was lost in his thoughts, and the last time he’d had that look on his face, there was an evil AI after them, so she had a right to ask.

Clint shot her a tense smile, “Yeah, just between Rumlow and Castle…”

Of course, he was worried that Rumlow was still out there. 

Not that she had forgotten, but Dani was trying hard not to remember that particular trigger. After her breakdown with Sam, she’d been seeing a therapist pretty regularly. And she was pretty sure Sam had said as much to Steve, because even _he_ had eased off the mother hen act around the office. 

The nightmares still happened —though, less frequently now— and there were still days it was hard to get out of bed. It was drastically different from her experience at SHIELD, thankfully, though they’d covered that particular part of her life in detail. 

Her therapist was warm but to the point, which Dani appreciated. She could see why Sam recommended her; she didn’t bat a lash at the knowledge of several world-saving incidents, which made Dani wonder how many versions she’d heard in her professional life.

It helped. While nothing was going to outright cure her, the important part was it helped.

Dani wiped off her hands, headed toward the couch and patted the seat beside her in invitation, “You worried I’m going to get myself into trouble? Or are you thinking that it’s time to leave the city?”

“No,” Clint said a little too quickly, giving up on dishes and plopping down beside her. “I don’t think we should. Just be careful out there?”

Clint had been really supportive while she was getting her head on straight, but Dani was starting to think not being Hawkeye —not being able to really help the way he might have in his previous life— was beginning to take a toll on him. She watched him tense during news broadcasts about what was happening to the city. She’d noticed him stop coming around the Compound as much. And when he did, he always looked on longingly at training and sparring session.

She also couldn’t remember the last time she’d done anything unsupervised lately, though she did appreciate that he picked her up from most of her therapy sessions. 

Dani leaned her head on his shoulder, wrapping an arm around his chest and hugging him close. “You know I’m in the state’s safest building up there, and I barely have clients anymore. Anytime I’m in the city, I’m with you and or Dom,” Dani said quietly. “So, what’s really on your mind?”

“I…” she could see him searching for the words, wondering if he could come up with an explanation that would satisfy her. “I can’t tell you. You know that. It’s safer for us both that way.”

She slumped against him, arm tightening his hold around him in understanding.

“I know, but I don’t have to like it,” Dani said, well-natured as she kissed his cheek to try and wipe away the severe thoughts. With no complaints or recoils, she moved onto lightening the mood, “Cheer up, it’s Christmas. Unless there’s something _directly_ threatening our lives this year, I’d like to drink my weight in egg nog.”

He chuckled, the rumble comforting as he swept her into his lap and kissed her gently. She was just happy her method of distraction worked. Cupping the back of his neck, she pulled him closer, deepening the kiss.

“I was thinking,” her breath was hot on his lips. “We could maybe take this to my room. Celebrate early?” And maybe take their mind off things, she added in her head.

Crows lines and canines smiling back at her.

“Your wish, my command.”

* * *

Stark Tower was just festive and gaudy enough to adequately reflect Tony Stark. Every floor was wrapped in tinsel, baubles and festive lights. Never mind the twenty-foot tall tree in the party room, fully decked out and towering above the guests. One might think with all the trimmings, there’d be a lot of festive spirit in the halls, but they were just as empty and tense as usual.

Maybe Ultron had put a sour taste in Dani’s mouth, but the Tower just didn’t have the same appeal anymore. It felt cold and distant, much like her brother, if she was honest.

But at least they wouldn’t be alone. With no active cases, the rest of the team had flown down from the Compound this afternoon and piled into the room for dinner. The massive table had enough food to feed the NFL, and enough booze to make things interesting.

And at least the team was in a good mood. 

Drinks of choice in hand, friendly banter made their way around the table like the sweet potatoes and stuffing. But the after-dinner drinks were always the highlight of the night. Clint was off catching up with the rest of the team while Dani hung back, people watching.

“It’s a good thing you’re not driving home,” Steve joked at Dani’s second glass of egg nog. “I don’t think Natasha knows how to make a drink that’s not at least a double.”

Steve and Dani had been spending a lot of time together Upstate, in between missions and meetings. Enough that Dani didn’t feel back about telling him off.

“It’s a good thing you mind your business and leave me to my egg nog,” she grumbled, jokingly hip-checking him. It was all in good fun.

Some days it felt like she was back in DC with him, shooting the shit back and forth. They _were_ neighbours again, at least, Upstate, technically. It was comforting to join him for sleepless 2 AM coffee and snacks in the common room. It made Dani feel less clinical and a little less homesick.

“Did you get what you wanted for Christmas this year, Cap?” she asked after a brief silence.

It was a light conversation starter to anyone else, but it was a loaded question to them.

“I have a lot to be thankful for,” he replied evasively, not quite meeting her eyes.

It had been a weird year for most of them, she realized as she looked around the room. Love and loss. Was that just what life was as an adult, or was this different because of who they were? Sometimes Dani didn’t know.

The corner of her lip quirked up, “Yeah, I know the feeling.”

“You?”

Steve looked at her with those big blue eyes, the ones that she had a hard time lying to. She looked back to the group around her, laughing and drinking and joking. Dani wouldn’t have traded her life for anything, not with Clint and the team, not with her little makeshift family.

But she would have done a lot of things, maybe even something she couldn’t come back from, to have this wall between her and half the team come down. The tension, the secrets, the outright lies. She was starting to feel like she was in the middle of a tug-of-war —Steve on one end, her brother on another— and she was just waiting for the rope to break.

Or for someone to explain the rules.

“If I say no, does that make me look like an asshole?” Dani replied quietly.

“Even Stark’s money can’t buy everything,” Steve replied just as softly. “Trust me.”

Knowing there was more to his statement than they could say out-loud, Dani nodded dimly, “I do.”

He clapped a hand on her shoulder before making his way to Sam, who was listing off his all-time favourite holiday movies. Apparently, it was a heated debate once Tony got involved. Which, really, wasn’t that shocking when Dani thought about it.

Eventually, they made their way to the media room for their annual Die Hard showing. Wanda had even managed to convince Vision into a terrible holiday sweater, to the amusement of most of the room, and Dani didn’t miss the way he stayed close to her side the whole night, sharing a seat and a bowl of popcorn. 

There was a familiar warm feeling between them, and Dani was grateful Wanda had someone who could be there for her after what had been a tumultuous year.

Dani must have been staring at the two for too long, as Tony managed to sidle up on the seat beside her without her noticing. “You have that look in your eyes. Please don’t tell me I’m going to have little nieces and nephews running around soon,” Tony said quietly. “You know I hate kids.”

“Riley is basically your adopted child at this point. You know that, right?” Dani said with an eye roll. “And no, definitely not.”

Tony paused, sipping his whisky as if he was mulling it over. But the follow-up question was already on his tongue. She didn’t have to be related to him to know that.

“‘Definitely not’ _forever_ or ‘definitely not’ _now_?” he asked under his breath, smirking slightly at being able to ruffle her feathers.

“Tony, don’t make me ask you the same,” Dani griped. “Go back to your whisky. I don’t need this shit from you, too.”

“Too? Who’s hassling you?” Now he looked concerned.

Dani rolled her eyes at _this_ being the reason he starts to care, “No one, Tony. Don’t worry about it.”

He settled himself into the seat, looking at the screen but not really paying attention. She could hear the cogs turning behind his eyes, and with him being at least four drinks in, Dani knew what was coming. Tony was getting sappy and was about to drop some alcohol-fuelled _wisdom_ on her whether or not she liked it.

“Take it from an old man, kid. Take what you can when you can,” Tony said to her, in his suddenly serious, big-brother way. “Life’s too short to pick the hard end of the stick all the time.”

“Men and their philosophical wisdom,” Dani huffed, Steve’s talk still fresh on her mind. “You going to take your own advice?”

She didn’t want to mention Pepper’s absence out-loud, knowing it was a sore spot and would only draw more attention to things, but Tony was smart. Even several tumblers deep, he got the hint.

Tony stared into his drink, “Can’t teach an old dog new non-scientific tricks.”

“I’m sorry,” Dani offered quietly.

“You should call her, you know,” Tony offered offhand. “I think she’d appreciate hearing from you. You’re not me, kid. We can all be glad for that, huh?”

Dani hummed, lost in her thoughts as she headed back to the kitchen for a top-up and an excuse to get some air. When did Christmas get so depressing? 

Maybe it’d been this way for a while. Maybe she should just give up on holidays.

It was on her way back that she heard the whispers from a nearby meeting room. Brow furrowed, she detoured to the open door, finding Clint and Nat in a tense-looking conversation, invisible to the other guests. The redhead caught her eye in a split second and seemed to shut the conversation down quickly, but the tension was still in the air. 

Nat slid out of the room without a word to either of them. Clint made his way to the media room with an apologetic kiss to Dani’s cheek. And then it was just Dani, staring at the empty place in silence. 

Not quite sure what happened and not sure she wanted to know.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter: unresolved feels and angst. We’re nearly in the second half, and let me tell you, there’s a lot. So buckle in, and see if you can guess who we’re looping into the inevitable.
> 
> Next chapter will feature some new faces.


	8. Chapter 8

**March 21, 2016**

“Sometimes, I wonder what is even left of yours at the Tower.”

The morning grumble came courtesy of a frustrated Clint Barton, currently rummaging through his drawers for any sign of his own clothes among Dani’s. T-shirts were flying onto the floor with every scoop of his hands, eyebrows knit together in determination.

“You’re just mad I made you get another dresser,” she called up from the main floor, watching as he slipped a clean-ish tee over his head. 

“And then you took over _both_!”

But Clint was covering for his own misdeeds, having slept in and nearly missed his chance to catch a ride with her and Dom into the city. So he was a little on the frantic side when it came to pulling himself into a state fit for public.

“Dom’s waiting,” Dani teased from the front door, holding it open with her foot as she smirked at the flurry of movement in the shadows.

He made it to the car, and after a few minutes stuck in traffic (Dani was surprised it wasn’t more), they both got off in Midtown in front of a generic office building. This is where they’d all split up. Nerves in check, she still took a deep breath before Dom drove off to make his rounds. Clint kissed Dani on the cheek before settling in at the hipster cafe next door, while she headed towards an upscale office building with a gold gilded elevator. 

Clint had made a habit lately of escorting her to and from therapy. Dani considered it aftercare, though it was more likely his way of protecting her from the outside world.

And of course, fate would have it that today would be an incredibly difficult session, where she’d probably spent more time crying than talking. It was a mix of things that all seemed to bubble to the surface at once: her mother, her brother, her uncertainty about the things going on behind the scenes around her. 

And while those kinds of sessions were few and far between lately, this one hit her like a truck.

But Clint had been waiting in the lobby for her with hot chocolate from her favourite cafe and a smile. Dani walked straight into his arms, slumped as he held her close. She tried to focus on the scent of his body wash, the smell of coffee grinds and the sharp hint of winter. Anything to bring her back to Clint, chattering in her ear about the people watching he’d been up to next door.

He’d come up with little life stories for all the characters that passed the windows: A couple fighting, a mother chasing a rogue five-year-old, a boy bringing a pretty girl a bouquet of daisies.

Anything to take her mind off where she was.

They took their time, Clint pulling her onto a bench in the lobby to catch her breath with him close by. Those blue eyes watched as her breath settled down to a normal rhythm, and her hands unclenched around his. She could tell he meant it when he told her he was proud of her. Watched his eyes light up when he got to really laughing as they made their way out the door and walked around Manhattan to help wind down her brain.

They turned a corner at the next lights, and Dani couldn’t get a word out of her mouth before the collision. Someone swiped her shoulder, sending her a few steps back with a yelp.

“What the—? “Dani watched the daggers in Clint’s eyes as his head whipped around to find the culprit.

His rigid stance said he was about to go full-bodyguard on an unsuspecting pedestrian. Dani had already outstretched her arm to stop him from stepping forward, even before the whole scene had unfolded.

“Clint,” Dani chided under her breath, nudging her chin towards the perpetrator.

Fury melted away as the cane came into full view as the person turned on their heels to check on them. Dani watched Clint’s eyes widen in realization, annoyed look dropped in a split second. The brunet in front of them wore a bashful grin, shoulder-to-shoulder with a confused looking blond, who was more Shaggy than his suit led on. 

“I’m so sorry! It’s an occupational hazard,” the brunet explained with a warm, toothy grin. 

He gestured towards his eyes, covered by dark oval glasses, and Dani huffed a breath, holding back her own smile at the joke. 

“It’s no problem, really.”

“Your voice,” mystery man said suddenly. “Sounds familiar. Do I know you from somewhere?”

Dani could already feel his friend’s eyes boring holes into the side of her face, so she was pretty sure he’d already recognized her. Plus, she wasn’t one for lying, even if it gave her some measure of privacy, so Dani didn’t have a lot left to lose by giving herself up.

“I’m Danielle Fisher,” she explained with a nervous chuckle. “You might have caught an interview or something.”

Or _something_. As if Dani hadn’t given about five public statements splashed over news outlets in the past six months. Not that she was bragging; it was mortifying having to put her life and herself out there so often, but that was Stark life.

“Tony Stark’s sister?” the blond chimed in a little too excitedly.

Dani winced a little at how quickly he connected the dots. She felt Clint’s hand tighten against her own, his silent question of whether he should get her out of here.

“Excuse the awe in my associate’s voice, Ms. Fisher. He’s Foggy Nelson, and I’m Matt Murdock,” Matt held out a hand that Dani gladly shook. “It’s nice to meet you, though I’m sorry for the circumstances.”

“Associate? I hope we’re not cutting into your lunch,” Clint quipped, clearly feeling left out. “Sorry, I’m Clint Barton, by the way.”

“Oh no, not at all. It’s all part of keeping up the firm,” Matt said in an even tone, and Clint looked a little relieved at not being called in out public.

“You’re lawyers?” Dani guessed.

Foggy put on a proud grin, “Nelson and Murdock, Attorneys at Law.”

“Here, I think I have a card on me,” Matt added, pulling a business card out of his breast pocket.

The cream card was neatly printed, elegant and minimalist, listing their credentials and an address in Hell’s Kitchen. Dani trailed her fingertip along the bottom edge with a smile, “Braille. Clever.”

“Wait, weren’t you two the ones going after Fisk?” Clint asked interest piqued. “Ballsy move.”

Now that he had mentioned it, the pair did look familiar. Maybe it was all the newspapers he’s left lying around his apartment, but Dani could picture the two in a courthouse the longer she looked.

“Thanks?” Foggy looked unsure as to whether he should take it as a compliment or not, but Clint’s grin seemed to ease him into a smile. “Anyway, Matt, we should probably get going.”

“Sorry again for running into you,” Matt offered apologetically. “If you ever need some legal advice, consider the first appointment on me.”

“I appreciate it,” Dani said with a smile. “And really, it’s no problem.”

Dani and Clint turned to leave, as Dani slipped the card into her purse. Clint wrapped his arms around her shoulder, protectively. They were only a few steps away when she could hear the familiar voices behind them.

“That was Hawkeye,” Dani overheard Foggy whisper to Matt as if he’d just realized it. “You just gave a business card to an Avenger. That’s awesome!”

Clint laughed at the comment, rumbling in his chest as he hugged her a little tighter. Frankly, she was just glad he didn’t accidentally cause a scene with someone on the streets —she wouldn’t have looked forward to Pepper’s tongue-lashing at that PR nightmare.

“How are you feeling?” he asked quietly at the next light.

They were only about a block from her next destination, and she knew this was Clint’s way of checking in on her. Making sure she was comfortable with the next part of her day. Honestly, she could have planned better to avoid a post-therapy get together (she _could_ have been a disaster right now), but she’d gotten a little cocky at how well she’d felt after previous sessions. 

“A little nervous for lunch,” Dani admitted.

Still, between Clint being there for her and the amusing run-in on the street, she felt a little more level-headed now. And Dani didn’t turn down french pastries quickly.

“You’ll be fine,” he assured. “Say hi to Pepper for me.”

Dom was waiting in their SUV in front of the restaurant, and Clint hopped in the back after a kiss to Dani’s cheek.

“I will.”

The French cafe off Fifth was a little different from her regular Brooklyn caffeine stops. The columns and gold filigree in the windows were a dead giveaway to Pepper having chosen the spot. 

Dani vividly remembered calling Pepper up. Her first question had been, “Is everything alright?” like she’d been expecting the worst from her or Tony —probably Tony— but it just didn’t sit right with Dani. The urgent tightness in her voice. The barrage of questions felt like a term test she hadn’t studied for.

And then the offer of catching up over coffee, like they were just two adult friends who hadn’t had a very complicated history together. 

Pushing her anxious thoughts aside, she steeled herself and headed in. The strawberry blonde was already sitting at the table, eyes alight as she locked eyes with Dani.

“Dani!” Pepper threw her arms around the brunette, squeezing her close.

The brunette wasn’t sure if Pepper was stronger than she remembered, or if it’d just been so long, she’d forgotten how tight her hugs were.

“Hi, Pep,” she managed to choke out.

“How have you been? You look good.”

Dani knew she meant more than her outfit. 

Settling down at the table, Dani could feel Pepper’s eyes on her, looking her up and down like she was trying to figure out if she was OK. And, to be fair, Pepper had seen her at her best and worst in all the time she’d known her. But still, she felt a little self-conscious.

Dani pulled up the menu up to eye-line and tried to put on a convincing smile, “I’ve been doing a lot better. How are you?”

“Oh, well. SI keeps me on my toes,” Pepper said with a wave of her hand. “But I missed you. I missed this.”

Pepper reached over and rested her hand on top of Dani’s, rubbing comforting circles over her knuckles. It was nice, the contact. 

It was something she hadn’t had a whole lot of lately besides Clint. Nat, Sam and Rhodey had been too busy to be around the Compound. Steve was Steve. Wanda had Vision. And Maria was really only affectionate half a bottle of tequila in, and Dani just wasn’t built for that being an average Tuesday night anymore.

So she meant it when she said, “Me too.”

Pepper gave her a knowing look before they were interrupted by the server for their choices. Pepper got her usual double-shot espresso while Dani opted for a latte. It didn’t take long for their drinks to arrive, steaming hot on the marble tabletop.

“How’s Clint?”

“He’s a little restless,” Dani admitted between tentative sips of her latte. “He took a break from Hawkeye and is figuring things out.”

“A break?” Pepper asked, disbelieving tone.

Dani nodded, “I think the Sokovia was really hard on him.”

“I know _that_ feeling,” Pepper said as she stirred sugar into her cup. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have—”

“Hey, no. You don’t have to apologize to me for anything,” Dani said, reaching over to squeeze her hand comfortingly. “We’re all adults, and sometimes things happen. You don’t owe me an explanation. I’m here because I care about you.”

Pepper shot her a grateful smile, “You’ve grown a lot since the girl I met in Malibu.”

She looked a little proud, and warmth spread through Dani at the thought of it.

“I was a little more headstrong back then. You were dying to kick me out of your office,” Dani chuckled. “You must have thought I was some sort of psycho stalker.”

Pepper grinned over the lip of her espresso cup before her face turned a little more serious at the thought.

“No,” Pepper admitted quietly. “I could see how alike you two were since that first meeting. I was more worried about how your brother would handle the news, honestly.”

Dani had never heard this side of the story before. It was no secret that it was a shock to Tony, but since he was king of tucking his feelings away from prying eyes, she’d never really dragged it out of him. Leaning forward on her elbows, Dani gave Pepper her full attention, suddenly curious.

“How did he handle it?”

“With a lot of alcohol,” Pepper said plainly like she should have expected the answer.

Dani rolled her eyes at the obviousness, “Sounds like Tony.”

Pepper pursed her lips, seemingly thinking things over for a serious response. She set her empty cup down and leaned back in her chair a bit.

“He felt guilty that he never thought to look when the paperwork was all there. I think he was angry at himself for not being able to save you from all those years on your own,” Pepper continued, quieter now. “He’s not a bad guy, Dani.”

“He just pushes everyone away,” Dani finished for her.

Maybe it was Dani’s candidness that threw Pepper off, but she looked a little surprised that second had come out of _her_ mouth.

“You too?”

Dani shrugged, “I’m kind of used to it. It’s not like I’ve never done it.”

Because she had. A lot. She was the queen of pushing people away when she probably needed them most, so she really couldn’t judge her brother that harshly. 

As much as she wanted to, some days. 

Pepper nodded, and they left it at that, moving onto lighter topics and things more fitting for a catch-up among friends. Pastries came and left the table in small bites, another round of coffee was ordered. It was over an hour later when her phone buzzed with a message from Dom.

“Is it that time?” Pepper said with a knowing look.

Dani’s lip quirked up, “I’m on a strict schedule these days.”

Wrapping her arms around Dani’s shoulders, Pepper pulled her into a hug before holding her at arm’s length. She smoothed the hair from her face, and Dani couldn’t help but feel she was holding something back.

“Be careful, OK?” Pepper asked.

Her look made Dani wonder if she knew what was going on like she knew something Dani had only caught glimpses of.

But all she could say was “You too” without stepping on any toes.

It shouldn’t have been awkward, this little get together, but someone that look in Pepper’s eyes told Dani that there was a lot she wasn’t privy to. It didn’t settle the twisting in her stomach or the jaunty beat her heart was doing in her chest. If even Pepper was warning her, there was a storm coming, and Dani couldn’t expect to just hide her head in the sand anymore.

As much as she wished she could.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This isn't the last of our two new friends. And we'll see at least two more returning faces before the end of this work.
> 
> Next two chapters are back at the Compound!
> 
> See you next week.


	9. Chapter 9

**May 3, 2016**

Dani knew it was going to be a rough one before they’d even left the Compound. She’d been a jittery mess all day after Wanda had let slip that today’s mission was the best lead on Rumlow they’d had in ages. A rock dropped into Dani’s stomach at the thought, tossing and turning as she restlessly paced the Compound. 

She should have known. The signs were all there: The way Steve stopped to check in on her before they left. The tight-lipped smile Sam gave her when he was hiding something (which was too often, lately). And the squeeze Nat gave her in full tac gear. 

Maybe they thought they were saving her from something.

She spent hours at the Compound, anxiously awaiting word of their safe return from Lagos. An hour in the kitchen, then out on the grounds, her bedroom, the lounge. Nothing felt comfortable enough to stop her feet from walking the floors back and forth. Nothing would soothe her buzzing thoughts.

“ _Doctor Fisher, you may want to turn on the news._ ”

“I really don’t, FRIDAY,” Dani sighed, visions of Sokovia dancing in her head at the thought. “Is there something I should know?”

“ _The mission in Lagos did not go as anticipated. There were several innocent casualties, along with one Brock Rumlow. You may want to ready your office and prepare for their arrival. Miss Maximoff, in particular._ ”

Her stomach twisted, “Thanks for the heads-up, FRIDAY.”

She didn’t need to watch the news to put those pieces together.

Bustling over to her office, she flicked on the lights and set out what she thought she’d need. Trying to keep her hands busy so they didn’t float over to her cell phone to see the news coverage. She’d much rather hear it from the team, but her head was swirling with all the worst-case scenarios she’d grown to push out of the forefront.

They were back with a vengeance.

Dani flicked the kettle on as soon as the QuinJet landed, setting a bag of Wanda’s favourite tea —chai— in a mug. It was something Wanda always did for her when Dani needed a pick-me-up, so this time it was up to her to return the favour. Vision was in the middle of meetings with Tony in the city, so it was just Dani and Hill hanging around the Compound for the moment.

“Do you think she’ll be OK?” Dani asked honestly, knowing Hill had seen Wanda post-mission more than she had.

Hill didn’t meet her eyes as she shrugged, “She’s a tough kid.” She sank back in her seat a little, giving Dani a once-over, “ _You_ doing alright?”

“Therapy helps,” Dani responded, not looking up from the ceramic she was fiddling with.

“Don’t I know it,” Hill huffed with a wry smile before swiping off her tablet’s notification. “Wanda’s waiting for you in your office, by the way.”

Dani nodded, grabbing the mug of tea and heading down the hall. She passed Steve, the first to emerge from the locker room, who wordlessly shot Dani a stiff nod, a little unlike him. But today’s events had probably taken a toll on him too, as the leader. 

Hill followed hot on his heels, holding her tablet to her chest.

Dani knocked on the door to the exam room, not turning the knob until a “Come in,” was croaked. Wanda was already sitting on the table, ready for her, eyes glued to the ground and shoulders hunched at her ears. Skittish, Dani could see her jump at the click of the door behind her.

“I brought some tea,” Dani offered gently, pressing the mug into Wanda’s grip. “We can take our time today. As long as you need.”

Wanda nodded dimly, sipping at the mug as Dani leaned against her desk, keeping a bit of a distance. She was always careful after missions, not wanting to overstep any boundaries or push any buttons. That went for everyone at the Compound. Treatment was a delicate dance sometimes, especially when things didn’t go right on the field.

Which was more often than anyone liked.

“You didn’t see, did you?” Wanda asked finally, peering into her mug. “I know you don’t like to watch the news these days.”

Dani shook her head, brows furrowed, “We don’t have to talk if you don’t want to. I can sit here until you’re ready, or we can do the appointment quickly and in silence if you want.”

“No, you should know.” Her hazel eyes met Dani’s brown, already brimming with tears, “I did something horrible. I-I couldn’t control it. It’s all my fault.”

Her hand clenched, grip unsteady as she looked down at the ground. It was no secret that Wanda was very powerful, but she was also just getting used to her powers out in the field. There were bound to be mistakes.

“Is this about Rumlow?” Dani asked, breath hard to come by at the moment.

Maybe she should have watched the news. Perhaps she should have snuck a look at the report.

“He’s…” Wanda couldn’t even finish the sentence, but Dani knew. “He had a bomb, and I couldn’t contain it. But… Dani—people died. Because of me.”

Wanda shuddered into herself, and Dani quickly grabbed the mug out of her hands so it wouldn’t spill on her. Dani was doing everything to keep a straight face and focus on Wanda and not on Rumlow. Biting the inside of her cheek, she tried to redirect the pain, focus on the girl in front of her.

“Hey,” Dani soothed in her most level voice. She closed the gap between them and gently wound her arms around her neck, “It was an accident, Wanda. Mistakes happen, but that doesn’t make you a bad person.”

“Normal mistake don’t kill people,” Wanda sobbed into the crook of her neck.

Something about Wanda’s disappointment in herself, the fear of losing control of herself or the situation, tugged at Dani’s heartstrings. It was a perfect mirror image of Tony’s struggles, which she’d seen so many times before. It wasn’t fair to compare the two — unfair to compare any of their pain, really — but it was hard not to see Tony and even _herself_ in the girl in front of her.

And still, she was conflicted. Rumlow was a monster; the world was better off without him in it as far as she was concerned. But just like Dani had been caught in the aftermath of her own emotional battle, so too was Wanda struggling to put everything back together after the blast.

“No one in this whole building is normal, Wanda,” Dani assured softly. “You have a gift. And you use it to stop bad people and help so many. I’m so sorry you had to go through today. But really, we don’t have to talk about it.”

Wanda’s eyes darted between Dani’s, like that hadn’t been the response she’d been expecting. Like she could hear her brain at work trying to push back the thoughts about Rumlow.

“You think I regret Rumlow? No,” Wanda was suddenly adamant, eyes narrowing at Dani. “No. I do not regret that. That is one of the only things I don’t regret today. If anything, I hope that at least gives you and Clint some sort of peace.”

 _Clint_. 

The guilt settled into that hole in her stomach, eating away at the lining. She probably should have called him as soon as she heard the news, she realized. If he hadn’t already been tipped off with the media coverage, he was probably blowing up her phone —left in her room to avoid distractions.

Would he be happy? Relieved? 

Should she be?

Dani nodded, happy to leave it at that so the lump in her throat wouldn’t evolve into full-blown tears, “OK. Do you want to get started?”

Her jaw was sore by the end of the appointment, tired of clenching her teeth at all the thoughts drifting through her head. But after some minor adjustments and more tea, Wanda seemed calmer now, at least.

“ _Miss Maximoff, Captain Rogers is expecting you in his office._ ”

Dani watched the colour drain from Wanda’s face at FRIDAY’s announcement.

“I guess I should go,” Wanda said nervously, sliding herself off the table.

“Wanda,” Dani called out, gently grasping her shoulder before she could leave. “I’m here, OK? If you need me, anything at all, you tell FRIDAY, and I’ll be right there, OK?”

Wanda nodded, squeezing Dani’s hand in thanks.

Dani managed to do the bare minimum paperwork but staring at the blank way, too distracted to concentrate. Tucking her papers away and locking the file cabinet, the wave of emotion and nausea was getting to be too much to hold back. With no other appointments on her chart, she escaped to the residential area to settle.

By the time she got back to her room, there were ten texts and five missed calls from Clint sitting on her phone. She didn’t even bother reading them, hitting his name as the dial tone started.

“Dani?” He picked up on the first ring. “Are you OK? They got him?”

“Yeah,” she croaked, ignoring his first question. “They got him.”

She could hear the sigh of relief on the other end of the line, “And Wanda?”

“Struggling,” Dani choked out. “I shouldn’t have put that on her.”

There was still that deep-seated shame at projecting her worst nightmares into the girl’s head during her training session with Sam. That look in her eyes as she stood in the entrance to the gym was burned into her memory. 

“Dan,” Clint soothed, voice lowering into a calming register and sounding a little less frantic. “You couldn’t have known she’d pick up on it. That’s not on you. Everyone makes mistakes out in the field. Every single person has lost someone.”

“She’s already under so much pressure, and I feel like…” Dani’s breath hitched, “I feel like I always make things worse.”

And as much as she’d apologized since, and as much as Wanda brushed it off, she hated the idea of that memory sitting in the back of her head during all of this.

Even if she said she didn’t regret it, her relief wasn’t worth Wanda’s agony.

“I promise you she doesn’t blame you for it,” Clint assured. “But it might take some time for her to forgive herself. God, I’m sorry, Dan. Do you want me to come up and see you?”

The last thing she wanted to do was drag Clint back into everything when he’d been trying so hard to stay away from the Compound. Even if she didn’t know why exactly.

“N-no,” Dani sniffed, “I uh, I should go.”

“OK,” Clint said, tone uncertain. “I love you.”

“Love you too.”

Letting the phone drop to her bed, she tried to get herself together. Swiping her palms under her eyes, huffing some deep breaths to get back to a regular rhythm, wiping her hands on her pant legs. Anything to try to clear her mind and get back to some semblance of normal.

Opening the door to her room, she came face-to-face with Rhodey, nearly jumping out of her skin at the surprise.

“Jesus Christ,” she muttered under her breath. “Scared the hell out of me.”

“Sorry,” he took a careful step back, giving her some room to breathe. “Sorry, you just beat me to the knocking part of this whole interaction.”

He wore a nervous smile and open palms, voice level but soft. The kind you’d use on some injured animal. He was still in a nice suit, probably just got out of a meeting. So, this wasn’t a run-of-the-mill visit. This was a house call. Dani could see it a mile away.

“Tony ask you to check up on me?”

“That predictable, huh?” He chuckled, eyes dropping to the floor in concession. “To be fair, I wanted to check in too. Haven’t seen a whole lot of you lately.”

Leave it to Tony to shove his feelings so far down he had to get someone else to check up on his own sister. Or maybe he guessed Dani might not have picked up his call.

Either or.

“Well, you might as well come in.” 

Dani ushered him into her room, sweeping her arm towards the grey suede armchair. The last thing she wanted to do was have a breakdown in full sight of curious eyes. She took the floor, back leaned against her bed’s foot, knees tucked under her chin.

“Talk to me,” Rhodey implored, leaning over towards her as he searched her face.

And she knew he didn’t just mean about today.

“Honestly? I don’t know what’s going on anymore, Rhodey. Between Tony and the team, and now this,” she looked him in the eye, wanting him to take what she had to say seriously. “It’s hard to be honest with everyone when no one around here will give me a straight answer.”

He sat back in his chair a little, mouth twitching like he was debating what to tell her. 

Dani was really sick of that look.

“Your brother’s under a lot of pressure right now, we all are. The government’s trying to bring down some rules around enhanced individuals and what happens in situations like… well, situations like today,” Rhodey started.

Well, that was the most words she’d heard strung together on the subject. It didn’t clear everything up, though. If anything, it created more questions than answers.

“What do you mean, ‘what happens’? Like consequences? _Jail time_?”

Dani carefully watched his expression, saw the quirk in his eyebrows at the mention of penalties, answering her question without saying a word. 

Her heart was starting to pick up the pace as her mind scratched the surface of the impact that kind of legislation would have. On every single person in this facility and beyond. On her own private practice. On regular human beings who might not even realize they were powered.

This was massive if it was true —but it was getting hard to tell who was telling what truths and _why_ these days.

“We don’t know exactly what it looks like,” Rhodey admitted, rubbing the back of his neck nervously. “But your brother and I are trying to get ahead of it. This, today, doesn’t help, to be honest. Rumlow was one thing, but… we can’t justify losing those lives in the crossfire.”

Dani’s face dropped. Wanda was now in the middle of this and might not even know it yet.

“Don’t get me wrong, I’ll sleep better at night knowing that bastard isn’t about to hunt you down,” Rhodey added quickly, clearly backtracking at her expression. “But all those innocent people? They deserve justice too.”

She didn’t know what to say to her brother’s oldest friend.

Rhodey seemed to realize he’d said too much, or not the right thing. Dani wasn’t sure. But either way, he started making to leave, “Look, I’m sorry, I should—“

“It’s fine,” Dani said firmly, not wanting to give away her own thoughts. She quickly smoothed her face and put on a polite front, “I asked you to be honest, you were. But, I uh, have to check in with Nat. Make sure the rest of the team’s fine.”

“Of course,” Rhodey assured, laying a hand on her shoulder. “You sure you’re OK?”

“I’m fine.”

But she was anything but. 

And now she wasn’t sure whether honesty was the best policy. 

She walked Rhodey out of her room in silence, catching Steve’s eyes as he passed by the halls. Had he heard everything? Times like these, she wondered just how fair his hearing was. 

And sure, maybe it didn’t look right to Steve —who’d been more hostile to Tony of late— to have Rhodey waltzing out of her room. But that didn’t explain why he’d been avoiding Dani for the past few weeks unless he somehow thought she was deeper in this than she was?

Did he assume she’d automatically take her brother’s side on this? Because he should know better than that by now.

Taking the opposite hallway to avoid an awkward run-in, Dani passed Natasha’s empty office —there went her first choice— but could see the light on in Sam’s. She wanted to tell him, the same part that wanted to call Clint back and let him know what Rhodey had told her.

But she just didn’t have the energy to unpack everything racing through her mind.

Checking to see if the coast was clear, she doubled back to her room and settled under the covers. And as chaotic as the day had been, as many unanswered questions as there were, she had the best sleep she’d had in months.

And she felt terrible about it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did someone say Civil War? See you next week 😉


	10. Chapter 10

**June 19, 2016**

Dani was miserable. 

She was a sniffly, drippy mess as she sat on the couch in the common area, blanket wrapped around her shoulders. It was day three of a cold that was _just_ starting to let up, and she wanted nothing more than to hole herself up in Brooklyn and hide from the world. 

Though, she’d been assured by the medical team that she was no longer contagious (like that was supposed to be some sort of consolation). 

Dani was _supposed_ to have been home yesterday to rest up, but an emergency meeting and a personal request from Tony made her tired and jittery as she hung around the Compound— not that she’d actually been invited to the meeting in question. Instead, she watched as the Avengers piled into the conference room. 

The whole Compound had been whispering about who could have led to the shutdown of the facility, so when Secretary Ross strode through in spit-shined shoes, she tried not to let her shock show too much. 

She had a feeling this had something to do with Rhodey and her chat last month. Tony looked like he wanted to crawl out of his skin, hiding in the corner of the room as the Secretary of State spoke to the table full of Avengers. Her cover for lingering around the common area was that she needed a hot cup of tea if she was going to be awake and functioning for the trip home later, but her eyes drifted over through the glass of the meeting room as she prepared it.

A large stack of papers got passed around, and it looked heavy in each of their hands. She saw each of their expressions drop as they watched the screen, looking away at the painful images. It was hard to look away, half-knowing what was going on in there.

How much everything that was happening inside that room would ripple out and affect her work.

But no, she shouldn’t be there in plain view, drawing more attention to herself. Dani slipped out of the kitchen before she was spotted. As much as she wanted to run off and pretend this wasn’t happening —not that she _could_ run in the state she was in-- there was a part of her that knew she was a part of this now, whether she liked it or not. So she settled on the couch, just out of sight to hear the muffled accusations and arguments being thrown across the table. 

It wasn’t long before she watched the tall man in a suit that rivalled Tony’s exit.

Her cue to leave.

Dani slunk to her room, keeping the door open a crack. It was enough to hear the commotion in the living room, the heated back-and-forths and threats. It was like her entire family had imploded, sharp tones and resentment ringing out throughout the facility. She felt like a little kid again, hiding in her closet while her mom fought with whatever flavour-of-the-week asshole was downstairs.

It wasn’t until the next lull that Dani looked up to notice the figure in the doorway of her room, leaned against the doorframe. Face far from the usual grin he’d sported around her.

“I’m sure you heard everything,” Steve said without an introduction.

Dani swallowed hard, caught. She wasn’t about to tell him she’d had advanced notice from Rhodey; he probably already assumed as much. And her sitting there with the door open already didn’t look great, she realized.

“I heard enough,” she replied as levelly as she could, voice still raw from sickness.

On any other day, he would have come in by now, sat himself on the armchair by the bed and had a heart-to-heart. They’d had some of those on occasion, even some brutally honest ones where he asked her if she really wanted this life. Especially on those long nights she couldn’t sleep and he’d just got back from a mission (on or off-the-books). 

But today wasn’t that day, and Steve might have even verged on intimidating as he brooded in her doorway, shoulders almost spanning the width of the entrance. It set her teeth on edge, feeling like she was about to be on the other end of an interrogation. 

“Any reason why Clint’s not here?” he asked a little brusquely, blue eyes narrowed in her direction.

It sounded like an accusation, and she wondered whether he was trying to get something out of her. Did he think she knew more than she let on? Because beyond today’s little chat, and as much as she wished she could most days, she didn’t.

But she did what Natasha would have told her to do, letting her shoulders settle from up around her ears and wiping her face clean of any tells. She flattened her tone, keeping her answer to a crisp, “He’s retired.”

“We both know that’s not true,” Steve challenged firmly. “So, where do you stand?”

Is that what this was about? Was she somehow in the middle of these two factions now? Was he expecting her to pick a side? What were they, five on some preschool playground?

Dani scoffed, “I don’t, _Cap_. I’m not super, hero or otherwise.”

“No, you’re just dating one,” he shot back. “One that should have been here, had it not been for some connections.”

Dani was getting really sick of Steve implying she was getting special treatment because of her bloodline. Never mind the fact he seemed to think she was Clint’s keeper. She shifted off the edge of her bed, closing the gap between them so he could look him dead in the eye as she set things straight.

“Who’s retired,” she added with as much finality as she could. Adding, “And I don’t know if you’ve noticed, Steve, but my words don’t mean a whole lot to my brother. Tony’s digging his own hole, doesn’t mean we all have to fall in like lemmings.”

“You know that mass suicide thing is a myth, right?” Sam added, sidling into the conversation Dani wasn’t aware he’d been listening to.

It seemed like he was trying to diffuse the situation, smile not quite reaching his eyes as he peered in over Cap’s shoulder. Hovering in the hallway, almost expecting to have to step in. Steve gave Dani a hard stare, like he wasn’t quite convinced.

“Why is Tony letting you off easy?”

His tone wiped the smile clean off Sam’s face, and he looked like he was about to step in to pull Steve away.

_Do you really have to ask?_

“I don’t know that he is,” Dani replied, throwing her hands up in surrender at his harsher than usual tone. 

His shoulders lowered an inch, the glower wiping itself off his face like he’d just realized how he sounded, “Sorry, I didn’t mean…”

But it was hard to be mad at him when all she could manage was concern at how unlike him this was. In all her time knowing Steve, she’d never seen him lose his cool on anyone besides Tony like that. And while Dani knew she wasn’t perfect, she didn’t always tow the company line and she wasn’t afraid to say as much, she also wasn’t her brother. She didn’t make his decisions and wasn’t his confidante.

Steve knew that —or, at least, he used to.

Dani started to think there was more to this than just the threat of the Accords looming overhead. This whole setup was so strange, to her. It wasn’t like she hadn’t been on the other side of a hostile Steve —see: the Helicarrier, for one— but this felt different.

“Steve, are you alright?” she asked quietly.

He was caught off guard by the question, eyes dropping to the floor as he ran his fingers through his hair nervously in a brief pause. Even Sam looked uncomfortable behind him, face dropping at her question. 

“It’s uh, Peggy. I’ve got to go… to London for a few days.”

Reading between the lines, Dani’s heart stopped at his admission. She knew he’s made time to visit her in recent years, trying to connect even through the dementia. She’d seen the aftermath too, the sad looks and locking himself away to not put anyone else through his pain.

She knew that feeling all too well herself.

But with Peggy gone… it was no wonder he was extra on-edge with today’s government ambush.

“I’m sorry, Steve,” Dani said softly, putting a hand on his shoulder. “If there’s anything I can do…”

He shook his head, wrenching away from her touch and headed towards the stairwell. Dani watched as Sam shot her an apologetic look, running to catch up to him before the door could click shut. She couldn’t take her eyes off the closed door, frozen as her brain tried to make sense of what had just happened. 

This whole thing was turning out to be a mess.

“I hate to say it, kid, but Capsicle has a point. Barton should be here.”

“Jesus,” Dani hissed, clutching her chest. “You all really have to lay off sneaking up on the civilians. First off, I’m not my boyfriend’s keeper. And secondly, he’s not _super_ , Tony.”

She was starting to feel the effects of her cold, voice cracking as she found it a little harder to breathe now after he back-and-forth with Steve. Dani leaned against the doorframe, coughing into her elbow to try to clear her throat.

“Clint could take out any moving target within a 100 yards with a projectile. He’s not much different than that asshole Bullseye or Swordsman before him,” Tony listed off like he’d had the speech prepared for a while.

He probably had.

Dani sighed and in her best gravel replied, “Except he’s not going around killing people.”

“Yet.”

She leaned her head against the wall, closing her eyes as her brain pounded against her skull. Dani wished Tony would have given her a heads-up before his little interrogation so she could have at least had ibuprofen on hand.

“Are we really having this conversation right now? Couldn’t any Navy SEAL do the same? Most military sharpshooters? Because governments are so incorruptible right? Because you saw the impact of DC in person, right?” Dani replied, exasperated with the line of questioning.

But Tony grimaced, “Don’t play stupid, Dani, and don’t undersell him just to make your point. Barton should be signing this just like the rest of them.”

“But he’s not an Avenger anymore. He doesn’t do that anymore.”

“But if he did? If he was still out there just like the rest of us?” 

Dani felt like she was going in circles with all these what-ifs and hypothetical scenarios. How could Clint prove to someone he wouldn’t do something before it could even conceivably happen? How could anyone?

She knew what he was implying, and as much as she assumed the same herself, she wasn’t going to say that out loud in Tony’s presence.

“Then this conversation would be very different, Tony.”

He looked tired, she could see him start to break down after a full day of keeping up his aloof bravado. His shoulders dropped, eyes sagged, and he was shifting from foot to foot as he looked at her almost pleadingly. Tony sighed, “I just want to keep everyone together, Dani.”

“By inviting the government to the dinner table? Not exactly how most of the people on the team want to be together, Tony,” Dani rasped. “Suddenly you want everything to change because you feel bad this once. The world doesn’t revolve around you, and you shouldn’t be forcing these people to become glorified government arms.”

“You going to cut me out like you did your mom?”

Dani gaped at him, floored he would bring that up now.

Those words cut through Dani like a knife, and it took her a few moments to work up the composure to respond without yelling (her voice wouldn’t have been able to handle it.

“Tony, you’re my brother and I love you, but don’t pretend this is a one-size-fits-all solution for the mess you had a hand in to begin with… just because it relieves you of some of _your_ guilt.” She rubbed her face with her hands, fed up with where the conversation was heading. “Send me a copy of the agreement. Not for Clint, for _me_. Clint is off the table and hasn’t worked for you for months. But this, this could potentially affect my work here and in my private practice, and I need to be prepared for the fall-out.”

He nodded dumbly, realizing he’d hit a nerve, “Yeah. Yeah, OK. I’ll send you a copy to review. Confidentially of course.”

“Only my legal counsel will see it,” Dani replied crisply. “I know the rules.”

His eyes widened at her response.

“You going to see someone in the city?” He asked, eyes locked on the leather weekend bag on the floor.

“I’m heading back tonight. Should have been back yesterday, but someone shut down the whole Compound for a meeting I wasn’t invited to,” Dani confirmed vaguely, letting a little annoyance slip into her tone. “So I guess we’ll talk once I’m back next week.”

Without waiting for his response, she grabbed her bag and headed to the common room to look for a ride. Normally she would just catch a QuinJet with whatever agents were heading out that day, but the Jet was out on a mission and she’d have to probably drive herself back. She wasn’t really looking forward to it in her current, snotty state.

“Hey, I’ll take you home,” Rhodey offered, standing up from where he’d been sitting on the couch. “Let’s be real, you’re in no shape to drive, and I have to be in the city tomorrow morning anyway.”

Dani quickly realized several of the team members were still lingering on the floor.

Great. Not only had Rhodey probably overheard everything with Tony and Steve, but so did the rest of the team. Wanda and Nat wouldn’t meet Dani’s eyes as they darted out of sight and down the hall. As much as Dani tried not to take it too personally, it was hard to know her friends wouldn’t offer to save her from this awkward trip back.

“Sure, thanks, Rhodey,” Dani replied half-heartedly. “I might be out like a light, though. Need to try to sleep some of this off.”

He gave a tight smile, taking her bag for her as they headed to the flight deck.

If she was lucky, she would actually sleep through it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think we get back into typical chapter length after this one, and then we head into the final act.
> 
> A familiar face is back in the next chapter...


	11. Chapter 11

**June 20, 2016**

Clint had been on edge since last night, after her very one-sided conversation about what had happened at the Compound. 

Dani didn’t feel great about having to drop that bomb on him, and he’d spent at least an hour leafing through the legal jargon in the agreement as she told him about the tension at the Compound. Clint fixed her tea and toast, checking her forehead for a temperature without a word. Not a single sound was exchanged between them after that, just the turning pages and Clint’s footsteps pacing the kitchen. 

Dani had taken a shower to try to wipe the remaining sick feeling off her. When Clint didn’t jokingly ask to join, she immediately knew something was wrong in that head of his. She figured he’d need time to process his options. 

What even were his options at this point?

What were hers?

Clint was gone before she’d even finished washing off, explaining via (a very brief) text that he needed to blow off steam. Unable to function on the mix of NyQuil and cold meds she’d been pumping all day, Dani went to bed alone that night.

She’d called that red flag number one.

Not that she really minded about that one as she had been pretty out of it and probably wouldn’t have been good company. 

At least she’d woken up fully-rested and mostly decongested—she’d consider that in itself a win, frankly. And, she could actually smell coffee wafting through the apartment. It rose all the way up to the loft where Dani woke to an empty bed and the sound of cutlery being returned to the drawer. 

Shoving off the sheets, she trudged downstairs to find him standing at the stove, fully dressed and more alert than he should be at this time of morning.

Red flag number two: Clint being up earlier than her _and_ cooking.

“Wanna take a drive for the weekend?” Clint asked airily, casually flipping a pancake.

Dani’s voice was still rough with sleep as she croaked, “A drive?”

Clint suggesting an impromptu getaway? 

“To the house,” Clint clarified.

She rubbed her eyes, trying to make sure she wasn’t still dreaming or mishearing his suggestion. “The safehouse?”

“Technically the ‘safe’ in safehouse was blown wide open as soon as I brought your brother there,” Clint said with a wry smile. “Now it’s just a house.”

So it wasn’t just _any_ impromptu getaway. It was an impromptu getaway to the house she’d hid from Ultron in. So that was definitely glaring red flag number three. Three too many for any day, but especially the day after the government decided to go all in on the ‘restricting enhanced people’ initiative.

Dani narrowed her eyes, “You sure now is the right time?” 

She was a little concerned about the optics with the Sokovia Accords signing deadline looming. 

“It’s a good as time as any.”

Well, that was evasive as fuck.

“If you wanted to go so bad, why didn’t you bring me sooner? I asked if you wanted to go away,” Dani pressed.

The smile dropped from his lips as he turned back to focus his attention on the stove, “I was worried it might still have some bad memories for you, since… you know.”

She did. Dani didn’t miss the anxious days in hiding with Kate, waiting for the team to return from the Sokovia mission. Clint looked a little concerned about bringing it up, but she wasn’t made of glass. She’d been through worse, survived worse, grown from worse. Why did he think this one was going to break her?

Unless that wasn’t really the issue here.

“You’re not trying to get me out there to put me out of my misery?” He gave her a confused look over his should. “Like taking the dog out to the ‘farm,’” Dani added, air quoting as she spoke.

He didn’t laugh at her joke, and his eyes didn’t meet hers as he shook his head. This whole thing was so unlike Clint that it seemed like he was running from something. Possibly her. She gave him enough time to try to set her straight, to tell her that this wasn’t in response to all the things happening, but either he wasn’t getting the hint or he wasn’t about to lie to her.

“You’re making me nervous, Clint,” she admitted with a frustrated groan, pacing the creaking floor of his apartment. “Steve and Nat will barely talk to me, Rhodey’s off with the government and staunchly pro-Accords, and Tony’s been absolutely suffocating. I can’t have you ice me out too,” Dani pleaded.

Leaning back against the wall, Dani sank herself to the floor, scrubbing her face with her hands.

Clint clicked off the burners and plated the last pancake. Dani wasn’t even hungry at this point. Her stomach was in knots thinking she might be about to lose the only lifeline she had left at this point, and she wasn’t sure she could handle it.

“You’re right, you don’t deserve this,” Clint said simply, looking a little defeated. “I know this isn’t what you signed up for. Maybe it would be better if you didn’t have to be a part of this.”

She waited a few seconds for clarification staring up at him from the ground, heart pounding in her ears when it didn’t come. Was there a punchline she was missing? Some subtext to decode what he’d just said and not have it sound like he was trying to distance himself from her? 

Because if there was, she wasn’t seeing it.

“Seriously?” The smile melted off her face when his expression didn’t change to let her in on the joke. “Please tell me you’re fucking with me.” 

But still, no response. Just that dead, painful silence.

Did she really have to ask the question?

“Are you breaking up with me right now?”

She could feel the tears welling in her eyes as Clint searched her expression. But the silent seconds ticked away, the tears threatening to slide down her cheeks as they did. His fingers massaged his temples, and the crease in his forehead deepened as he huffed out a breath. 

“ _Clint_. Say something. What is going on with you?” her voice cracked at the thought of this being the way he’d end things, after months of shutting her out.

This was how it was going to go? 

Her heart was about to beat out of her chest as he just stood there, staring at her. But before her thoughts could spiral any further, Clint finally made a move. 

Through the tears blurring her vision, she could make out him signing a few quick gestures that translated to “Where is your phone?” Furrowing her brow, she slipped it out of her back pocket and held it up, not quite understanding what he was getting at. He crossed the room in two long steps, grabbing the phone and bolting to the bathroom. She could hear the squeak of the tap and the creak of the closing the door. 

“What the hell is going on?” she hissed as he returned.

“I’ve been working with Steve—”

Well, that was obvious. But Dani was glad he was finally owning up to the fact; it helped her feel a little less crazy. Still, she was a little angry that it had come to this point before he decided to tell her something.

“—We’ve been trying to get to Barnes and convince him to go somewhere safe. For rehabilitation and deprogramming.”

“Bucky Barnes? _The Winter Solider_ Bucky Barnes?” Dani’s jaw dropped, “He—Steve found him?”

“Yes,” Clint confirmed glibly, but Dani could tell there was more he wasn’t saying.

Her mind was racing with the possibilities. If Steve had found him, that was it, right? It was just between him and Barnes. Sure, it might be a tough conversation, it would probably take a lot of convincing, but they knew each other on the deepest level.

“That can’t be it, though. That would be too easy, right?” Dani mused out loud, but Clint didn’t give her any hints with his expression.

They sat in uncomfortable silence for a few moments as Dani weighed her options. She could wait for Clint to tell her what she’d already assumed, or just come out with it. Tired of beating around the bush, she was ready to get down to it.

“What is Steve hiding from Tony?”

“What?” Clint looked taken aback at Dani’s assumption, but he didn’t deny it.

“I know Steve and Tony have some sort of _wall _between them or whatever,” Dani explained, watching his face carefully for any tells. “Pretty sure the whole Compound knows by now. Just... he said something and… I’m pretty sure if you’ve been working with him this whole time, you know what it is.”__

__Clint bit his bottom lip, arms crossed his chest as he stood pensive in the middle of the kitchen staring at the food probably neither of them could stomach at the moment. He huffed out a breath, and looked her dead in the eyes._ _

__“Bucky killed his parents. Your dad. Howard and Maria Stark,” Clint admitted just above a whisper._ _

__The silence that rang out was deafening. All the thoughts in Dani’s head, the what ifs and the wonderings. The worst case scenarios. They all screeched to a halt at that simple sentence. Dani’s mouth hung open, closing as she floundered for the right words._ _

__Were there right words? What could she even say to that?_ _

__“Under the control of Hydra, right?” she breathed, trying to understand the depth of the situation. “Ah. W-wow.”_ _

__Barnes was a war criminal, had been for decades apparently. And as much as she didn’t want to put that blame on him personally, she could see how Steve and Clint might have thought she would leap to anger. But she didn’t have a connection with her father; that bridge was long and burned before she was born, as far as she was concerned._ _

__Her brother, though…_ _

__“You understand why Steve couldn’t tell Tony, right?”_ _

__Dani nodded, mind cycling through the last four years alone. Aliens, a near-death space experience, an obsession with keeping the world and his team safe, Ultron. There were so many factors at play already that it was hard to know just which trigger this latest revelation might pull._ _

__“When did Steve find out?”_ _

__Clint looked a little guilty, “During DC.”_ _

__Fuck. He’d known this whole time. Was that was had pried them further apart? Not just him and Tony, but Steve and Dani? Must have been hard to keep up a lie by omission about someone’s own blood. Not that it made Dani feel any better about Steve’s recent cold shoulder._ _

__Pepper’s face at this last meeting kept playing in her head, that worried look that said everything was going to change. That concern dripping off her voice._ _

__Even if she hadn’t known about this —couldn’t have known about this— it wasn’t hard for everyone to see _something_ was going on behind the scenes. If the Accords was the fracture in an already tense Avengers dynamic, this had the potential to be an all-out nuke on the team._ _

__And potentially her family._ _

__“I don’t entirely agree with you keeping it a secret —from me or him— but I see why you did,” Dani said quietly. “But what now? The Accords? There’s no way that would allow Barnes to leave the country, or _wherever_ he is?”_ _

__Clint looked almost hopeful at her response, closing the gap between them and setting himself down on the floor across from her. Had he really expected her to just walk out on him?_ _

__“You don’t have to do this, you know. You could stay here with your brother, not get yourself wrapped in this whole thing. I’m not going to lie to you, Dani. This,” he gestured at both of them and beyond, “means we may never live in the US again. We may never have a real ‘home’ again. I’ve lived that life on the run, but I don’t expect that of you.”_ _

__She clasped his hands in hers, trying to reassure him with all the tools she had left that she wasn’t interested in leaving._ _

__“Well, after yesterday’s stand-off, I think I’m in it whether I like it or not,” Dani said, looking him dead in the eyes. “And I’d rather be in it with you. I trust you. I trust Steve, even if he’s going through some shit right now. But I think we should know what we’re up against.”_ _

__The truth was, they’d been _surviving_ , not living. Clint and Dani had been staying under the radar, keeping their noses clean. But now, Dani couldn’t bring herself to just stand by and take it. Not when there was a chance to fight back. _ _

__That didn’t mean they should go in without open eyes, knowing the potential consequences that were ahead of them._ _

__He pulled her up to stand, throwing his arms around her and kissing her neck softly in appreciation. She leaned into the grit of his stubble, relishing the familiar feeling._ _

__“Well, we have to pick up Barnes, convince him, and then fly under the whole Accords radar.”_ _

__“I don’t even know that we can do that,” Dani said, nibbling on her lip. “They’re pretty damning, Clint. Like I’m pretty sure even I’m at risk of life in prison for even considering assisting in this —not that that’s going to change my mind.”_ _

__But the most worrying thing, the biggest risk, was if anything was brought against her on the legal side, she couldn’t exactly afford Tony’s lawyers. If Clint was going to do this, and if Dani was going to go along with it, she was going to have to kiss every last Stark perk goodbye in the process. She wouldn’t have SI behind her if she did this._ _

__There was no turning back._ _

__“So we’re doing this?”_ _

__“Together,” she confirmed with a nod. “But this… whatever this is, Clint, is going to go nuclear. I think I’m going to call that lawyer.”_ _

__Clint hesitated, “Won’t Tony think that’s suspicious?”_ _

__“I told him I’d have to run this agreement by a lawyer for risk assessment,” Dani said quietly. “And I think if we leave the water running in the bathroom any longer, Tony might think something’s up.”_ _

__Clint nodded, going to retrieve her phone as she scrounged for that business card she tucked away. Brushing off a loose gum wrapper, she felt the telltale braille and typed the number into her phone._ _

__One ring, two rings…_ _

__“This is Matt Murdock of Nelson and Murdock.”_ _

__“Uh, hi. This is Dani Fisher,” she stuttered, feeling silly. “I’m not sure if you remember, but uh, we kind of ran into each other a few months back?”_ _

__“Dani, of course. What can I help you with?”_ _

__She could have sighed in relief, not really up to the challenge of reminding him that her boyfriend nearly told him off for bumping into her on the street._ _

__“I-I’m sure you’ve been hearing about the Sokovia Accords recently, and I know international law probably isn’t your specialty, but I was wondering if maybe we could meet somewhere? I was hoping to pick your brain,” Dani rambled, tone a little less confident than she would have liked. “Honestly, even a second set of eyes on this would be really helpful —or, well, you know what I mean.”_ _

__Dani was already red with embarrassment at the slip, Clint biting his finger to hold back a laugh from the other side of the room._ _

__Matt gave a polite chuckle, “Sure. I’m pretty open tomorrow, if it’s something urgent.”_ _

__“Tomorrow would be amazing.”_ _

__

__**June 21, 2016** _ _

__

__“Is everything alright, Dani?”_ _

__Matt Murdock sat across from her in a little cafe in Hell’s Kitchen, dressed like she’d expect a lawyer to in a crisp grey suit. His cane was leaning against the wobbly bistro table, to the right of his untouched black coffee._ _

__“Just a little nervous, sorry.”_ _

__She stopped herself from picking at the cardboard sleeve on her coffee. Her hands had slipped into nervous old habits and even Matt had picked up on it, apparently._ _

__She sighed, “I honestly don’t even know where to start; this whole Accords thing is such a mess. I hope I didn’t pull you away from something important,” Dani said bashfully, eyeing the flush across Matt’s face. “I just really didn’t know who else to call.”_ _

__She tried to still her restless hands around her cup, taking a sip to stop herself from rambling anymore than she already had._ _

__“No, no,” Matt assured with a shake of his head. “Though, I’ll admit I was a little surprised you took me up on my offer. Doesn’t Stark Industries have a suite of lawyers itching for a fight?”_ _

__He flashed his teeth in a polite smile, softening the prying question. But if he was going to advise her on this, she was going to have to be honest with him._ _

__“Stark Industries is my brother’s company,” she said carefully. “And my brother is very on board with the Accords. He’s practically their spokesperson at this point.”_ _

__“I see.”_ _

__It was hard to get a read on him, but the fact that’s he’d even taken her up on this meeting was a sign that he had some interest in the Accords. Or her. There was always the possibility that he was looking to make a name for himself by attaching himself to a Stark._ _

__But he didn’t seem like the social climbing type, so Dani was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt._ _

__“Do you want to tell me what you’re most concerned about when it comes to the agreement?”_ _

__Dani let out a shaky, humourless chuckle, “I mean everything, but… If, hypothetically, my partner was considered an ‘enhanced’ person under this document, what kind of risks would that bring to my life?”_ _

__Matt didn’t move an inch. Not a twitch or a flicker of any sort of reaction behind the straight-faced show he’d been putting on. She wasn’t sure if that was to spare her, or if he was really trying not to frighten her, but it was unnerving, whatever it was._ _

__“I’m going to be honest with you, but I’m not saying any of this to scare you,” Matt said —not that her heart was about to take that lightly, the familiar pounding already in her ears. “There’s a possibility, if your partner violates the Accords, that they’d want to charge you as an accomplice. And depending on the evidence they have, you may be found guilty by proxy, especially if your partner evades custody.”_ _

__Now he was talking between the lines, apparently reading into her _hypothetical_ situation._ _

__“What kind of evidence would they have?” Dani already had an idea, but she needed to hear him say it out loud._ _

__“Cell phone records, GPS data, any _tracking_ information,” she didn’t miss the inflection in Matt’s voice at the tracker, or the way his hands gestured towards her phone on the table. _ _

__Wait. He couldn’t have seen her put that down there. Could he have heard it? Or maybe just assumed the common practice._ _

__“Your brother is Tony Stark, right? He’s all tech,” Matt confirmed, as if reading her thoughts._ _

__That sent her heart racing, and for a second she forgot that she was out in public. The world melted away for a second, as the gravity of the situation settled in. And suddenly, she slipped, forgetting to stick to the hypotheticals she’d set out._ _

__“But what if I didn’t know.”_ _

__“If you’re going to try to convince a judge or jury, I hope you’re going to do better than that,” Matt shot back with a wry smile._ _

__Guilty. Her face flamed at the fact he’d managed to see right through her._ _

__He added, “My advice? You’re going to want to make sure your partner doesn’t have access to anything of yours: assets, money, property. Those things should be put in an unaffiliated third party’s name, because if he _hypothetically_ does anything that violates the Accords, the government is going to freeze everything and go after you.”_ _

__This should have been the time in their lives, in their relationship, when they were starting to make ties, not trying to break them. Not that she was surprised, but it was disappointing that even if she had kept out of it, even if Clint had stayed ‘retired,’ they probably never could have had a normal life._ _

__“Well, I uh,” Dani hesitated, mouth dry. “I appreciate you being honest with me. You’ve given me a generous chunk of your time and a lot to think about.”_ _

__“Any time. One more thing before you go, though,” Matt added, leaning over the table to speak a little lower now. “You came with a guard, right?”_ _

__Dani furrowed her brows, dropping her voice in turn, “Yeah, Dom. Why?”_ _

__“Just one?” He tilted his head slightly to the side, like he could hear something she couldn’t._ _

__“Matt?”_ _

__He gripped her arm and his breath brushed her face, “There’s a second one out front. If they’re not with you, I recommend taking the back exit.”_ _

__Was someone following her? Did Tony have someone tailing her?_ _

__Or someone... Or some _thing_ else?_ _

__“How…how could you know that?” Dani asked in a shaky whisper as she tried not to turn around and give them away. “Matt?”_ _

__“Based on the radioing they’re doing, I’m going to guess they’re your brother’s hired hands.”_ _

__She was going to have a talk with Tony, cursing herself for choosing the seat with her back to the street._ _

__“Please call me if you have any other questions, Miss Fisher. I’d love to have you stop by the office when the dust settles on this,” Matt said, leaning back in his seat and at his regular lawyer volume and cadence. “I know you’ll come out the other end of this.”_ _

__She brushed his shoulder on the way out, offering a quiet, “Thank you.”_ _

__The back exit went right past the kitchen, into an unmarked alley that she could take straight to a nearby subway station. She shot off a quick, vague text to Dom telling him to meet her at the Tower as she had some errands to run._ _

__Just as her feet crossed the threshold, Dani heard the commotion of a table toppling behind her, as a very familiar voice strung together some very convincing apologies._ _

__She definitely owed Matt for this one._ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things are starting to get interesting.


	12. Chapter 12

**June 21, 2016**

Dani’s hands were still shaking as she stepped into the elevator from the parking lot of Avengers Tower. Standing quietly at her side, Dom had even broken his own rule about not asking if she was OK, which maybe she deserved considering she took him on a goose chase through Hell’s Kitchen to try to lose the people who were following her. 

Although she _had_ told him to meet her at the Tower, so maybe he was slightly at fault for deciding to tail her anyway.

Her mind was racing through the chain of events that brought them here. First and foremost: How the hell did Matt even know there was someone outside the cafe waiting for her? She understood that maybe some of his senses would be better to make up for his lack of sight, but knowing who they were talking to on the phone? That sounded suspiciously _enhanced_. But her questions would probably never be answered at this rate, not that it made it any easier to accept. 

Then again, maybe she shouldn’t have been so surprised. She did tend to attract all sorts of interesting people. Powered or not.

But this, this whole thing was the last straw for Tony, as far as Dani was concerned. Today she was closing a chapter. Her hands shook as she unlocked the front door, Dom’s quiet presence calm and comforting. He hadn’t said much since he picked her up in the depths of Hell’s Kitchen, shaking like a leaf and only able to put together a few words at a time. He could tell whatever it was, it was serious.

“You can go home, you know,” Dani told Dom quietly. “This is my fight. You don’t have to be here for this. You have a family waiting for you.”

He put a hand on her shoulder, “I’ll be here as long as you need me. It’s not just my job to keep an eye on you, you know. I’d be a bad friend letting you do this alone.”

Still a little shaken up at the thought of being tailed for god knows how long, Dani had to hold back the sentimental tears as she nodded, grateful for the company. She beelined to her room, trying to spend as little time as possible here. The whole building already felt so cold, so foreign to her. Dani had been shuttling herself back and forth between the Compound and Clint’s place since Ultron, so the idea of leaving this all behind didn’t hurt as much as it would have a few years back. 

Just another goodbye to add to her long list of them.

Dom sat on her couch in full view of the entrance and her bedroom doorway as she rifled through her drawers. Dani felt terrible for putting him in the middle of this.

It only took about five minutes to grab her passport, licenses, and legal documents for her business, a couple of pieces of jewelry she had left behind. Patting herself down to make sure she had everything, Dani was ready to walk out of the building for what was probably the last time.

That was until the door to her suite popped open, and Dom’s gun was aimed at the ready in a heartbeat.

“Down, boy,” Tony said levelly, shrugging off Dom’s loaded weapon pointed straight at him. “You know, I technically pay you.”

But Dom only dropped his aim after looking to Dani for confirmation. She begrudgingly nodded, holding her ground in the doorframe of her bedroom. Tony held his at the front. He was supposed to be in a jet by now. Dani had checked his schedule and everything. But she assumed that his little SNAFU at the cafe with his hired hands, and JARVIS’s notification of her being in her suite forced him to change his plans.

Served him right.

Frankly, she was a little surprised he considered her important enough to react to.

“So, I guess this is your answer to the Accords?” Tony said, sweeping his arms around the already bare place. It hadn’t changed much since his last visit; he just enjoyed the drama of it all. “Because, you know, tomorrow I’m supposed to be off to go sign those officially in front of a bunch of cameras on a whole other continent. So it would be nice to know if my sister was going to, I don’t know, go publicly pledge herself to the opposition.”

Of course, this was all about optics. It all started to add up now.

“We both know I don’t have to sign those,” Dani said in a bored tone. “And we both know I’m not going to go running my mouth, either way, Tony. My word doesn’t mean a whole lot these days.”

His mouth was a firm line, eyes cold, and a little hurt as he looked at her. If he was looking for sympathy, this wasn’t the way to go about it. But since when had Tony ever done the expected?

“We also both know I wasn’t just talking about you, and that actions speak louder than words,” Tony shot back with a little more bite.

Dani crossed her arms, “You can’t keep me here.”

“I could.”

Dani’s eyes narrowed, flicking over to Dom who’s expression got a touch more severe at that claim.

“You _legally_ can’t keep me here.”

Tony seemed to deflate at that, realizing he wasn’t going to win. His arms fell limply to his sides, angry facade fading as he started to look more like the brother Dani used to know.

“Are you staying with Barton?” Tony asked quietly. “You know the risk there, right?”

Now he was going to try to play the big brother card? Dani shook her head incredulously, knowing he was just grasping at straws at this point. She was stronger than that now. Maybe years past, she would have fallen for it, would have trusted him to know what was best when it came to superheroes, gods, and monsters.

But this was her world life, her _life_ now, and she was sick of people telling her what she should and shouldn’t do.

“I don’t have to tell you that, Tony,” she responded, venom tucked aside for the moment. “You forfeited that right when you threatened me, my boyfriend, and our friends.”

“I didn’t…” he sighed, rubbing the back of his neck as he tried to find the words. “I’m just trying to keep us all together, Dan.”

“I think I’ve heard that one before. It usually doesn’t end well.”

Obie. Hammer. New York. Ultron. Every instance of hearing some version of trying to keep people safe or together cycled through her head like a bad dream.

Tony shoved his hands in his pockets, “At least take Dom.”

Dani looked over to the couch, watching as Dom’s eyes darted between the siblings.

Since Tony was going to play the optics game, she would have to as well. And she had it play it smart and close to the chest since she honestly had no idea how the next 24 hours would unfold, never mind the next few days. 

If Dom went with her, Tony would assume she wasn’t leaving the city. Dani would never take him away from his family, after all. And if she turned down Tony’s offer, he’d ask a whole bunch of questions —probably keep a team to watch her as well. And then it would get a whole lot harder to get out of dodge if she needed to.

Dani tried not to think too hard about what would happen if things went south… but she could always let Dom go back to his family and deal with whatever fallout was on the way.

“You better not be using this man like a cheap spy, Stark. He deserves better than to be someone else’s weapon,” Dani shot back, subtext clear as day. “And I deserve better than to be spied on.”

“You have my word,” Tony said, looking a little guilty as he realized she’d put two and two together.

“Not sure how much that means, but I trust Dom.”

Tony looked between the pair, shrugging a little as he turned on his heel, “I uh, have a plane to catch. But maybe we can talk when I get back?”

“If you have something new to say, you know how to reach me,” Dani replied coolly.

But inside, she was a wreck. Dani knew if she’d put up anything other than a determined front that Tony would walk right in like he always did and convince her that everything was going to be fine. This little game they’d been playing, something akin to pin the tail on the elephant in the room, hadn’t gotten them very far in all the years they’d tried. 

And as much as it hurt not to know the next time she’d see him, the only real family she had anymore, she couldn’t be part of his self-destruction.

Tony hesitated just outside her door, turning around to look her up and down again, “Stay safe, Dan.”

And as much as she wanted to hate him and throw scathing remarks back in his face, she knew that he thought he was doing the right thing. Nothing she could say was going to change that. So she settled on a somewhat neutral tone and bit her lip to hold back the resentment.

“You too.”

Dani had to steady herself at the kitchen island once he was in the elevator, taking in a deep breath to steady her nerves.

“Do you want me to call Clint?” Dom asked from the couch.

It wouldn’t have been the first time he’d done it. Dani had been in her fair share of paparazzi scuffles and needed to hear his voice to bring her back to earth and out of her head. But calling him now would be a red flag, and who knew whether Tony had tapped her phone. Clint had assumed as much, but staring down at it, she remembered Matt’s coded warning at the cafe.

“No,” Dani said finally, turning it face down and leaving it on the island. “No phones. Let’s just get to Brooklyn.”

Dom helped her with the only bag she packed, no larger than a backpack, and they rode in silence to Bed Stuy. Usually, this ride would feel good, like an escape from the city, and Tony’s hold. But today, it felt more like a defeat, like she was retreating with her tail between her legs.

Kate was already sitting on the back of the couch, feet planted in the cushions as Dani walked through the door.

“OK,” Dani breathed as she set down her bag. “It’s done. Ditched my phone and everything.” 

“Freedom!” Kate called out, fists raised high. “How’d big bro take it?”

“Oh, you know. Threatened to lock me in the Tower. The usual.” Dani snorted to Kate’s rage-filled expression. “I think he was mostly joking, but he let me keep Dom.”

“You think that’s the best idea?” Clint asked, finally speaking up.

It was then that Dani realized she’d probably walked in on a tense conversation. As much as Kate’s levity tried to distance themselves from it, there was residual frustration in the air, as both Hawkeyes were planted on opposite sides of the room, not quite looking at the other.

“It was either that or tip him off that I might not be sticking around,” Dani shot back, brow creasing at his tone. “And Dom wouldn’t do anything for Tony. He might have pointed a gun to his face today so…”

Clint’s brows raised, tone impressed, “Didn’t know he had it in him.”

“Yeah, well. Tony brings out the best in people,” Dani joked, managing to get a grin out of Kate, at least.  
“Anyway, what’s the game plan?”

Shuffling in his seat, Clint looked a little uncomfortable as Dani plopped herself on the couch beside Kate’s feet. He finally looked at Kate, who rolled her eyes and sighed, “He has no idea what Cap’s doing, but he doesn’t want to tell you that since you’re basically giving up your life and everything.”

Clint groaned, “Kate.”

“Is that, or is that not what you literally told me five minutes before Dani walked through the door?”

“Well, yes, but that’s not exactly—”

“Exactly,” Kate crossed her arms and pursed her lips. “And I was just telling him that he should probably get his shit together—”

“OK, OK,” Dani settled, hands up in surrender. “So it’s business as usual for a while? That’s fine. It’s not like I really expected to go straight into hiding.”

Kate still didn’t look impressed, “Anyway, I’ve got to head out. _Someone’s_ gotta patrol.”

“Don’t rub it in,” Clint said sourly from the kitchen, watching her go.

Kate was out of the door with a hug and a cheeky smile, leaving Clint to settle in beside Dani. He threw an arm around her and pulled her head to his chest, carding his fingers through her hair. Usually, this would have felt so natural, so comforting, but Dani couldn’t feel much of anything at the moment.

“Tony didn’t take it well, did he?”

“I might not have helped with the armed guard and me clearly vacating the premises,” Dani murmured, slipping her hand under his t-shirt to feel his skin on hers. “But no. I think he sees it as a betrayal if I’m not publicly supporting the Accords. He’s taking it pretty personally.”

Dani tried not to think about that look in her brother’s eyes, the one she hadn’t seen much since her mother died. What she wouldn’t do never to see that expression again.

Clint hummed and hugged her closer, “I’m sorry. Has Pepper reached out?”

“No,” Dani said in her smallest voice. “But she’s in a tough spot too.” Looking up at him, she could see the tired lines under his eyes, “How are you, though? Has Steve reached out with any news?”

“Just that we should be prepped to go at the drop of a hat,” Clint mumbled, pressing his lips into her hair. “We have no idea how this is going to go.”

The scariest part of the Accords wasn’t what was on paper —though that was entirely frightening when you broke it down from a powered person’s perspective— it was everything between the lines that kept her up at night. 

The real question was how it was going to be enforced at a federal or even municipal level.

“Are they just going to go rounding people up in the streets? Take them in the middle of the night? It sounds like some dystopian novel,” Dani murmured.

Clint looked a little more serious now, tipping her chin to meet his eyes.

“You know I’d never let them touch you, right? I’d never give you up,” Clint said, jaw tense and eyes determined. “I’d do anything to make sure they don’t go after you.”

And as much as she wished that could have sounded comforting, the last thing she’d want is for him to sell himself out for a chance at saving _her_. Clint needed to know they were going into this as equals.

“Don’t say that,” Dani said, throat tight at the thought of those worst-case scenarios she’d had nightmares about the past few nights. “I told you what Matt said. I’m in this regardless. You can’t give them something just to try to save me.”

He was silent, too silent, for a few moments, just looking at her unconvinced. As lovely as it sounded, Clint willing to burn down the world for her, it was that kind of chivalrous bullshit that would get them into more trouble in the end.

Get _him_ into more trouble in the end.

“I’m serious, Clint. I need you to promise you won’t do anything stupid on my account.”

His eyes softened, reading the worry in her voice as he pulled Dani into his lap, “I promise, darlin’. I love you is all.”

It was the safest she’d felt in days, just wrapped in his arms, trying not to think too far ahead. Sure, everything might have been up in the air, but they had each other, at least. For once, she wasn’t alone, hiding in wait.

No matter what came next, they’d have each other.

“Love you too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter we revisit some old friends! 
> 
> I hope you're all taking care out there.


	13. Chapter 13

**June 23, 2016**

“Dan, darlin’?”

This wasn’t precisely how Dani expected to wake up. After a day and a half of radio silence, Clint shaking her awake before their usual 9 AM wake-up was jarring. Turning to see his bed head hair and slept-in shirt, she realized he hadn’t been up long. Probably just having thrown on the closest outfit to rush out the door.

“Wha—? Did Steve get in touch?” she managed to sputter as her brain started to catch up.

“Yeah,” Clint said with a sad smile, perched on the edge of the bed. “I’ve gotta go right now, but someone’s coming to get you in about an hour.”

‘They’re separating us?’ was on the tip of her tongue, but Dani didn’t want to make this any worse than it already was. Clint could handle himself, so could Steve; she’d seen them both in action. But it didn’t help the sinking feeling in her stomach. 

Dani quickly sat up, throwing her arms around him. Her head found the crook of his neck, strong arms pulling her closer as the tears she desperately tried to keep at bay fell anyway.

This was just another mission, at least, that’s what Dani tried to tell herself as she breathed in the scent of his cologne.

“This feels a lot heavier than usual,” Dani said with a watery chuckle, tipping her head up to look him in the eyes. “I love you so much, no matter what. Remember what we talked about.”

Clint nodded, holding her face with both palms as if he was taking in every detail of her face.

“I love you,” Clint said softly as he stood up and started walking towards the stairs. “And I’ll see you soon, I promise. Dom’s downstairs and will wait with you until your contact arrives.”

“Do you know who it is?” Dani asked, wiping the stray tears from her cheek.

Clint shook his head, “No. I think Steve had to be careful over comms. But you’ll know them; he told me that much.”

“OK, I’ll be fine,” she assured him, seeing that worried look creeping onto his face. “I have Dom, and I’ll see you soon. You promised,” she added playfully.

Clint managed a half-smile, disappearing down the stairs before they could say any more goodbyes —it hurt too much. Resisting the urge to mope, and with only an hour to spare, Dani got dressed quickly. Her bags were already packed and waiting by the door, so all that was left was looking like she wasn’t a grief-stricken widow. 

She grabbed one of Clint’s sweaters, bringing it up to her nose —it still smelled like him— and tucked it under her arm as she headed downstairs.

“Dani, I have coffee ready for you down here,” Dom called up from the main level by the door, out of view of the upstairs. 

Dani was still sniffing back the rush of emotions as she descended the stairs. “Thanks, Dom,” she offered quietly. “Are you going to be OK after all this?”

She suddenly realized she’d never asked, too busy dropping off the face of the planet to consider how their decision might affect others. Would Tony fire him out of spite? Would he even have a job after this? He had a family to look after, after all.

Dom smiled, one of those comforting ones he shared in those harder moments of their time together, “Pepper’s already let me know that my job is secure, no matter what Mr. Stark said.”

“Good,” Dani sighed in relief, taking a sip of coffee.

Thank god for Pepper, Dani thought to herself and wondered off-hand if Steve and she had already been in touch. Or maybe she’d already seen this whole thing coming. But either way, just knowing that Dom and his family would be provided for once she left was comforting.

One less thing on a long list that would keep her up at night in the coming weeks.

“Are you scared of what’s going to happen next?” Dom asked in an unusual show of candour. He seemed to realize it might have been too far, quickly walking it back with, “Sorry, I don’t mean to pry—”

Dani could tell by his tone that _he_ was worried, but she wasn’t about to sugarcoat anything.

“No, it’s OK. This whole thing is confusing and last-minute, and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t terrified,” Dani admitted. “But I would be just as scared —maybe more— if I stayed. At least this way, we can hopefully do good, help others.”

“Well, I’m proud of you, for what it’s worth,” Dom said, and Dani could see his eyes gloss slightly. “I know it couldn’t have been an easy decision, but I know you both will make the right choice.”

As much as he’d promised her they’d see each other soon, the thought that this might be the last time she saw Clint for a long time was still floating in the back of her brain. After all, things rarely went according to plan. So when she spotted the lump in Dom’s through and the watery eyes, Dani nearly burst into fresh tears.

“You’re not allowed to cry!” Dani sobbed, “Because then I’m going to cry.”

“I’m sorry, Dan,” Dom chuckled, wiping a stray tear. “I told myself I wouldn’t.”

Dani barked a laugh, “So much for that, huh? Ugh, we’re a mess.”

It was only a few minutes later when there was a knock at the door. Dom insisted on answering, one hand behind his back on his gun as he looked through the peephole and opened the door. In walked a very familiar face, with shorter hair maybe, looking a little more like the agent she’d never claimed to be (at least not out loud) in black tac gear and matching gloves.

“Skye?”

“It’s actually Daisy,” she admitted with a hesitant chuckle. “But that’s a long story.”

Dani shrugged, not about to let the small detail throw her off. It wouldn’t be the first time someone had used a fake name in her presence, and probably wouldn’t be the last. At least it wasn’t a total stranger or some agent she’d only seen in passing once or twice. Her heart started to beat at its regular rhythm.

“You’re my contact?” Dani confirmed.

Sk—Daisy nodded to Dani’s relief. There were more pressing questions, but Dani knew they were on a tight timeline, and she had no reason to distrust Daisy. Turning to Dom, her lip was already quivering.

“You look after Lana and Nina, OK? And I’ll send word if it’s safe,” she said, pulling him into a hug.

“You take care of yourself. Both of you,” Dom said, looking to Daisy with a serious look.

The pair nodded, vision blurred, and lips tight as they wound their way through the halls. It took a minute for Dani to realize they were heading towards the stairwell.

“We’re going to the roof?” Dani confirmed, a little leery of stairs from previous experience.

“It’ll make sense when we get up there,” Daisy assured. “But we have to catch our ride.”

And so up they went, climbing the flights until there were no more. Daisy stared at Dani from the corner of her eye as they trudged. Maybe she was expecting more confusion or resistance, but all she found was a resolute and trusting Dani. After all, she’d been in a lot worse and a lot sketchier scenarios.

“What?” Dani asked when Daisy kept stealing glances at her as they finally made it to the empty rooftop. “Do I have something on my face?”

Or, at least, it _was_ empty until a QuinJet seemingly materialized out of thin air, just after the words left her lips.

Dani tried to keep her expression in check, but she was sure her eyebrows gave away her awe as she casually asked, “This our ride?”

“You are so much like him,” Daisy chuckled with a smirk, looking a little wide-eyed at Dani.

Dani’s brows furrowed, “Like Tony? I’m uh, not really sure that’s a compliment right now—“

“No, Coulson.”

Dani’s arms fell limply at her side, jaw following suit as every thought in her head fizzled. Did Daisy even know Coulson? If so, how? And how relevant was that to the current situation anyway?

Daisy looked a little more nervous now, continuing, “Speaking of, there’s something I should probably tell you before we board.”

Dani looked from the bird behind Daisy, which had inexplicably gone from invisible to very, not in a split second, parked on the roof of Clint’s Bed Stuy apartment in the middle of the biggest political move against enhanced people ever. Her superhero boyfriend was off on some secret mission, and her billionaire brother had no idea she was leaving the city. Hell, she didn’t even know where she was going.

She wasn’t sure anything Daisy was about to tell her would phase her at the moment, so she straightened out her face and waited expectantly.

A bashful smile and an outstretched hand, “Let’s start over. My name’s Daisy, Daisy Johnson, and I’m SHIELD. My team’s led by Phil Coulson. He’s alive, by the way.”

Dani numbly took hold of her hand and shook it, feeling a little detached from the situation.

“He was your referral,” the words tumbled out of Dani’s mouth before she could even process them.

Daisy nodded, “Here, let’s head over to the jet. I’ll explain.”

They made their way up the ramp, past a sporty red convertible and a couple team members who nodded their heads politely at Dani. It was a lot. The tech and the rush of people making her feel like she was back in Stark Tower.

But this jaw-dropping news had her head spinning, unable to process the fact her former boss was still alive. Somehow.

“It started as a favour. Checking in on you after, well, everything, and giving him some peace of mind after DC. But damn, I’ve never slept as well as I did after your adjustments,” Daisy continued in a joking tone. “But after SHIELD fell, well, _Hydra’s_ SHIELD, it started to get a little harder to keep things above board.”

Dani’s lip twitched, but she couldn’t quite manage a smile, “So who are you all working with now?”

“Let’s just say some mutual friends,” Daisy replied cryptically.

So they still had their secrets, that was fair. Dani was an outsider to them, not properly vetted, not even a former agent, really. So it would be a risk to put _all_ of their cards on the table. Dani took a look around the inside of the QuinJet, now that the ramp was close and they were in the air. There was a whole second level and everything.

“Is Coulson…?” Dani gestured towards the stairs and landing.

Daisy nodded, eyes softening as she realized Dani was still trying to understand the bomb that had been dropped on her, “I’ll lead you to him.”

Dani could feel that familiar buzz beneath her skin, stretching to the back of her neck as she tried to keep the shaking at bay. She wasn’t going to freak out. She would be fine. But all of these mental assurances were more for her comfort than anyone else’s —trying to soothe that lump in her throat and the churning in her stomach.

A flight of stairs and a few steps later, Daisy stepped into an office and announced, “Coulson?”

Those blue eyes turned to face her with that smile she remembered from their time together, “Ah, I see you’ve brought our newest recruit.”

Leaning on the doorframe to steady herself, Dani was shaking like a leaf. She let her shoulder slump against the wall, taking her full weight as she tried to put together the fact that Phil Coulson, her former supervisor —the one that had been killed on the Helicarrier— was standing right in front of her. The one she’d attended the funeral for, mourned, thought of almost every day since in some capacity. 

Somehow this hit a hell of a lot harder than the revelation that Fury was alive.

Did anyone die anymore?

Dani couldn’t find the words, but Coulson seemed to know what to say to defuse the situation.

“Don’t ask me the details because it’s a really long story, but turns out death didn’t agree with me,” Coulson said with a bashful grin.

Maybe it was because she was so wrapped up in the scene, but when someone put a hand on her shoulder from behind, Dani must have jumped a foot in the air with a yelp.

“Woah, woah,” a familiar voice soothed as the hand recoiled. “You’re safe here, Dani.”

Clutching her chest, Dani turned to find a familiar set of blue eyes and blonde hair, “Bobbi?”

She looked just like the last time she’d seen her, minus the tac gear. But those worried blue eyes, that soft smile, observing Dani closely, looking for marks or injuries; that was all Bobbi.

“In the flesh,” she said with a smile before the concern returned to her expression. “You alright?”

Dani looked behind her, half expecting for Coulson to have disappeared into thin air, before turning back to Bobbi, “It’s, uh, just a lot.”

Her voice was a little raw, maybe from the tears earlier, probably from the shock of it all. Bobbi set her hand on Dani’s shoulder, squeezing lightly, “I’m sorry I couldn’t tell you. Or be there. It’s been more than a little crazy over here since DC.”

“I can only imagine,” Dani breathed, unfocused eyes zoning out into an empty corner of the office.

She could almost hear the gears in her head turning, trying to make sense of everything.

“Agent Morse, Agent Johnson, can you give Dani and me a minute here?” Coulson asked, interrupting the moment.

“Of course,” Daisy replied, passing Dani as she headed towards the hallway. “I’ll show you around some more when you’re ready.”

Dani gave her a grateful smile, or at least as much of one as she could manage, “Thanks for everything.”

It was then just her and Coulson in the room, the door closing behind Dani as she took a seat, still a little shaky. The thumping in her ears hadn’t quite passed, underscoring the silence of Coulson’s office as they both stared at each other, waiting for the other to say something.

“I’m sorry for springing this on you, and not being able to reach out myself,” Coulson said apologetically, finally. He uncrossed his arms and leaned against the front of his desk. “As you could probably imagine, a lot was going on behind the scenes.”

“It’s fine,” Dani managed, keeping her distance as she surveyed him. “I-I’m just glad you’re OK.”

She found herself looking for those little Coulson giveaways; the twitch at the corner of his mouth when he was holding back a smile, that kind look in those blue eyes of his, the way he always seemed open and genuine. Dani wasn’t sure if it was a product of his body language or just a part of his DNA, but she couldn’t deny the man in front of her was the real thing.

As far as she could tell.

She realized how crazy this whole train of thought was, trying to tuck it back before she drove herself crazy.

“Are you OK?”

Dani huffed a humourless laugh, “Probably not. But I’ve been in worse spots —at least I’m not alone.”

Coulson smiled at that, but she could see the sadness lingering beneath it, “That you’re not. I’m assuming your brother didn’t take things too well?”

“If, by taking things well, you mean not bugging my phone, having me followed and accusing me of ruining his chance at the Accords? Then no, not well at all,” Dani said, shifting her weight to distract from the uncomfortable topic. “Have you been working with Steve this whole time?”

Coulson leaned back against the desk, “Yes and no. This is more of a favour than a partnership. At least, for now. Until we see how the Accords play out in the long term.”

“But you’re going to be helping people, right? Enhanced people,” Dani asked.

Coulson nodded, “As much as we possibly can.”

“Then I’m in,” Dani said firmly. “If you need me. If you’ll have me.”

“Well, we’ll see how the next few days go, but I’m sure the team won’t mind having you around,” Coulson said. “And it _would_ be nice to have you back on my team.”

Dani smiled, “Out of all the people I thought would be picking me up today, I never imagined it being you.”

“Yeah, well. Some of us still have some secrets left, even after the data leak,” Coulson joked. “Sorry, that was probably in poor taste.”

“No, no,” Dani assured. “It’s fine. So, what next?”

Coulson pried himself from the desk, walking towards her, “How about you meet the rest of the team? I’m sure Agent Johnson isn’t listening in on this conversation outside the door or anything,” he added with a lilt as the door opened.

“No, she _definitely_ was not,” Daisy deadpanned, popping her head into the room. “Want a tour?”

“Absolutely.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter: my other favourite team. 
> 
> Hope you're all doing well!


	14. Chapter 14

**June 24, 2016**

“Who have you been training with since you got back to New York?” Bobbi huffed, looking a little surprised Dani could still pull off most of her standard-issue SHIELD moves.

Daisy was unwrapping her hands behind her, doing some cool-down stretches as Bobbi and Dani took a breather between rounds. The makeshift training room in the Zephyr was a lot smaller than she was used to after being spoiled by the Compound, but it seemed like the team operated in shifts to make the most of it.

She also imagined most of their training was practical, out in the field on missions.

“Sam, mostly. Falcon,” Dani explained, reaching for her water bottle and popping it open. “I’m still nowhere near what I was back when we used to spar.”

She tried her best to smile, but that part of her life was still a sore spot.

“I imagine it was a lot of physio,” Bobbi sighed, tracking Dani pacing the floor. “But it went OK? After everything?”

Bobbi sounded a little hesitant to bring up the attack by name, and Dani wasn’t sure if it was because she felt guilty bringing it up or because Daisy was in the room. It wasn’t like Dani’s history was a secret here; between Coulson apparently having kept tabs on her, and Bobbi looking out for her at the Triskelion, they could probably put the pieces together on everything that came after and in between.

Dani would be lying if her throat didn’t still clench at the thought, “Yeah. Mostly.”

She didn’t have the full range of motion she used to. She’d tire easier. Her core would never be as strong as before the accident, and there was always added risk because of her brain injury. But Sam had been teaching Dani ways to compensate for her weaker points, using her legs as stabilizers and workhorses during combat.

Enough to keep her prepared to get out of a scuffle, should she ever need to.

Bobbi’s brows upturned, forehead creasing, “I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you after that.”

Dani waved her hand, brushing it off.

“Hey, you were undercover. Plus, I got your flowers,” Dani said dismissively. “And honestly, I don’t think anyone could have helped me more than Clint did. As painful as it was, this was worse,” Dani said, finger at her temple. “It was a whole lot of mental gymnastics.”

It looked like Bobbi was about to say something when the door to the gym popped open with a creak.

“I need everyone for a briefing,” Coulson called out a little too firmly as he popped his head into the room. “Five minutes.”

Daisy and Bobbi looked at each other, and then Dani, faces grim. Dani knew enough to know that meant it wasn’t going to be good. Still sweaty, Bobbi and Dani quickly towelled down and stood near the back as the rest of the team filled in the space around Coulson.

“We have some footage of the Avengers on-the-ground at an airport in Germany earlier today,” Coulson explained, swiping on his tablet to queue up a video feed on the large screen in front of them.

It played in the background, a whole host of costumed heroes battling across the airfield. It was hard to believe this wasn’t some video game footage or movie; the idea that these people, these _teammates_ would be in-fighting in public said a lot about how divisive the Accords were turning out to be. Dani stood on edge, frantically trying to look for any sign of Clint, praying he wasn’t injured or worse.

“No casualties, thankfully the Leipzig-Halle Airport was vacant at the time of the battle, but Colonel James Rhodes sustained injuries as a result of an accident involving The Vision,” Coulson added, scrolling forward through the video.

Dani hissed at the footage, hand over mouth as she stared at Rhodey’s suit hurtling down from the sky like a rock. She couldn’t stop the gasp that came out at the sight of him hitting the ground.

“He’s alive?” Dani’s voice shook, but her entire body might as well have been made out of lead. Her spine seemed to be locked in position, muscles tense as her brain flipped the panic switch.

“He is,” Coulson confirmed evenly, his eyes lingering a beat too long on her expression. “But based on the medical information we could get a hold of, it’s likely he’ll have some form of paralysis, even after rehabilitation.”

Fuck.

The room devolved into team chatter, a few questions shot back and forth in hushed whispers. Dani didn’t try to make them out, mind whirring and that deep-seated regret starting to sink in the pit of her belly.

“So, what’s the next step?”

Dani couldn’t tell who asked the question, but she tried to listen to the answer.

“Several members of Captain America’s team were arrested but not processed by official international authorities as far as our records indicate,” Coulson continued to the rest of the group. “We believe they’re being taken to an off-the-grid facility SHIELD used to use for high-risk offenders, called The Raft. We’ve already sent that intelligence to the Captain.”

Dani’s ears perked up at the mention of The Raft. She knew that facility --not intimately, but enough to know it was SHIELD’s version of Guantanamo, out in international waters and away from the prying eyes of the public. They’d only brought them there if whatever they were subjecting them to was supposed to stay off the books.

This wasn’t good. Not for Clint, not for her, not for the whole team.

Agent May stepped in, “The situation remains fluid, so I need everyone suited up and ready to go once we get our orders.”

The murmur of voices settled in again as the team splintered off to their areas.

“Dan?” Bobbi’s voice was soft; she didn’t reach for Dani’s shoulder this time, opting to keep a little distance behind her.

“I-I just ne-need a minute,” Dani managed to choke out, fumbling out of the room and heading towards the mercifully empty bunk area. She slipped into hers, closing the door behind her as she tried to get a hold on her breathing.

* * *

**April 28, 2010**

“So, you’re the sister.”

Colonel James Rhodes strolled into Tony’s bedroom, which looked more like a hospital room at this point. The rented machinery, from the monitors to the IVs providing hydration and nutrients, hummed, beeped and buzzed as Tony slept. He’d been sleeping a lot after his press conference, the wild, disjointed sit-in he shuttled himself to before passing out at home.

Pepper had been nice enough to invite Dani to the briefing, and Tony had been stubborn in ensuring she had a place in one of his spare bedrooms in the Malibu mansion overlooking the sea.

But she hadn’t met the extended Stark team —family, really, or so it seemed— so she was nervous at the inquisitive eyes and slightly accusatory tone.

“Dani,” she held out her hand, and he quickly shook it. “Dani Fisher. And uh, half-sister, if it matters.”

“I don’t think it does,” Rhodes said softly, appraising her.

He was still in his uniform, perfectly pressed and decorated, while Dani was doing her best impression of a college student, home from break and living out of a suitcase. Pretty par for the course as far as she was concerned.

“You’ve known Tony a long time?” Dani asked, looking on as he slept.

His in-house nurse had taken to giving him a little extra help sleeping through his IVs since he was hellbent on working himself to the bone. One or two more days of solid rest would do him a lot of good, though, and the rest of the company could stand to let him take a weekend to recuperate.

“Too long, I think,” he chuckled. “Enough to only be mildly surprised by his antics. But a secret sister? That’s a whole new level, even for me.”

“Did Tony tell you?”

She already knew the answer.

“No, Pepper. Said this headstrong girl blazed in with a bunch of paperwork and a huge heart, just looking for her family,” Rhodes said evenly. “But this is kind of a crazy time to be dumped into this world.”

“You’re telling me,” Dani said quietly, and she couldn’t help the way her voice shook.

She’d spent the last few weeks wondering if she’d lost the only family she had left, only to be pulled into this whirlwind of press conferences and media outlets, dodging journalists and prying eyes who might ask too many questions. They might wonder who she was and why she was there, and Dani wasn’t ready for that kind of attention, of the spotlight.

She was just a grad student hoping to get through college. She wasn’t made for this world.

Rhodes watched her closely and put on his best soft smile, “Well, you haven’t run out screaming or taken your story the first media outlet that could sign a cheque, so I’d consider that a win. Pepper says you’re working on being a physiotherapist?”

“That’s the hope,” Dani said, biting her lower lip. “Along with Tony living long enough to be able to see my convocation next year.” She tried to make her voice sound airy, but her throat caught on the last few words, giving her away.

Rhodes appraised her a little more softly now, the veneer shattered. “He will,” Rhodes assured softly.

A snort from Tony interrupted the beeps and titters, making them both chuckle and breaking the last of the tension.

“And, well, for what it’s worth, welcome to the family.”

* * *

**June 24, 2016**

Three knocks on the doors of her bunk brought her out of the memory, frantically wiping her eyes and sniffing back the rest of the tears before opening them to reveal a sombre-looking Daisy.

“This is for you,” she said, angling a phone towards Dani.

Before Dani could even ask what the hell that was supposed to mean, Daisy tapped the phone screen to reveal a video play button. In the grainy security footage that followed, she could see a familiar face topped with messy hair and superficial scrapes. Clint Barton was chained to a steel desk with a pair of hi-tech handcuffs.

They probably knew better than to put him in a regular pair.

Heart thumping in her chest, she watched closely, trying to analyze every pixel for some sort of tell.

In those few seconds of silent footage, she could already see the bruising around his eye socket, the way he was hunched and favouring one side, the cuts and marks visible on his arms. They were clearly being anything but gentle, and Dani’s blood was already boiling as the audio rang out into her bunk.

 _“It’s not just your life that’s over if you don’t sign this, Agent Barton,”_ the faceless interrogator slid a 4x6 across the desk into Clint’s view. _“Dr. Fisher would be going down too.”_

Clint clasped his hands and looked up at him with the ghost of a smirk, _“You can’t charge her with anything. You’re bluffing.”_

But the interrogator and Dani knew better. So did Clint, not that he would admit it.

 _“She was knowingly assisting someone in breach of the Accords, Barton. Keep up,”_ the other agent chuckled. _“And sign the damn paperwork, so maybe we can give you a deal.”_

The video cut out before Dani could see the end of it, and she tapped the black screen, hoping there was more. Hoping the next thirty seconds would show that Clint wouldn’t give in to their demands. Not for her. He couldn’t give up anything for her.

Her stomach twisted into knots at the implications and what must have been going through his head at that moment. She prayed to whoever the hell was out there that Clint had stuck to what he’d promised her and didn’t take the deal.

He knew she was safe, right?

Dani stared blankly at Daisy, “Is that real? Is this recent?”

But before she could get an answer, the phone started ringing in her hands. ‘Unknown caller’ flashed on the screen as Dani looked at Daisy questioningly.

“Answer it,” Daisy said with a nudge.

There was no hello, or pleasantries or even a greeting, just a firm voice on the other end asking, “You’re not going to let him make a deal, are you?”

Steve. She’d know that voice anywhere. Dani’s breath caught in her throat. Of course, he’d be checking up on her like this, all clandestine and accusatory. She couldn’t help but notice Daisy watching her from the hall, eyes tracking her every move. Dani clearly wasn’t the only person on edge.

A little annoyed at the secrecy, she answered his question with a question of her own.

“He’s been working for you all along, hasn’t he? Even before Sokovia?” she asked, though she knew the answer.

Steve’s voice was a little sterner at the accusation, “He tell you that?”

“No, I figured it out. He never confirmed, but… You really thought he would tell me, Steve? Even the SHIELD team over here is pretty hush-hush. Takes a good leader and a lot of trust.”

He huffed a relieved chuckle, “You always were a smart one. If Clint told you... Well, we all have our soft spots, even in this business.”

And it almost sounded like he was speaking from experience.

“Is that what we’re calling them now?” she shot back in a knowing tone.

There was a beat of silence like Steve was working from talking points that he’d lost track of. Or maybe he hadn’t expected this response from her. Perhaps he’d been hoping for her to break down, give up and want out.

But Dani wasn’t a quitter.

“I thought you might’ve wanted him home. I seem to remember something you said once about the quiet life?”

Now Steve was just fishing, looking for any excuse he shouldn’t take her on. Dani knew that tone; she’d heard it from people her whole life. When she decided to pursue a doctorate. When she moved out of her parent’s house. When she cut off her mom.

And maybe a part of her did want that kind of life, but she didn’t really have a home anymore. Not with Tony, or Pepper, or even Clint right now. Dani was resolute in knowing that whatever the next steps were, there was no going back.

“Fuck the quiet life. Tony’s been spying on me, but you probably already knew that,” she realized out loud, as things started to click. All those times he’d seemed a little distant falling into place now. “Took a little help to figure a way out, but I cut off all ties. Thanks for sending the team to pick me up, by the way.”

Dani shot a grateful look to Daisy, who smirked and nodded.

“They treating you well? I know there are some, ah, familiar faces for you.”

That was one way to put it.

Dani decided to give him an equally cryptic answer, “The team’s been great, as have the reunions.”

“So, you’re in?” Steve asked, putting on his Captain voice.

Her response was as confident as she could manage, “No going back now.”

“That’s all I needed to hear,” Steve said.

And the dial tone rang in her ears. Before she’d even processed it, Daisy had plucked the phone from her hand and headed back towards the meeting area.

“Alright, team. Captain confirmed our original orders,” Daisy said, patting the back of the pilot’s seat. “Let’s rendezvous at the coordinates he sent ahead.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little later than usual with this upload this week, apologies. See you all next Friday! Stay safe out there.


	15. Chapter 15

**June 24, 2016**

Two hours later, the Zephyr was landing on an abandoned runway on some remote island the team wouldn’t tell Dani the name of. She wasn’t even sure it had a name, not that it really mattered. That said, FitzSimmons were quick to give her an overview of the region’s topographical and ecological details, in much more detail than she’d ever been able to understand.

So, that was something, at least.

No one was arming themselves or hurrying around, though she did catch a few excited whispers at the prospect of seeing Steve in the flesh. Coulson just smiled at them knowingly, shooting a mischievous look to Dani over Daisy’s shoulder. He didn’t have to say a word; Dani knew exactly what he was hinting at. Memories of a much younger self floating through her mind as Dani could remember the first time she’d met Steve, half-asleep in the back of an SUV and _completely_ mortified. 

Yeah, probably best to never recount that particular story out loud. 

Agent May quickly lowered the ramp onto the tarmac, stepping out for a breather in the dusk air. A couple of the other team members joined her, making Dani wonder just how long they’d been up in the air before they’d come to get her. There wasn’t a lot of chatter as they waited for Dani’s next ride to arrive. 

They weren’t sure exactly who would be on board or what the next mission would be, but from the electricity and excitement in the air, she could tell they were ready, no matter what it was.

“Well, I’m a little sad that our time together is short-lived,” Coulson offered with a grin and a pat on Dani’s shoulder. “But I’m happy to know that you’re in good hands now.”

She put her hand over his and couldn’t help the grateful smile that sprung to her face.

“I’d say stay out of trouble, but I don’t think any of us know-how,” Dani shot back, nodding to Bobbi and Daisy knowingly. “Thanks for getting me out of there and for getting me up to speed.”

Coulson’s look turned a little sadder, “I’m sorry it wasn’t better news.”

The sound of a QuinJet broke the conversation. It echoed through the Zephyr, funnelling up the ramp as the landing sent a gust ruffling through everyone’s hair. Dani craned her neck from the top of the ramp to see it landed, two heads visible through the windshield.

It was go time.

Bobbi closed the distance between them first, pulling her into the hug she’d wanted to give when Dani first came on board, “You’re always welcome here, Dan. Tell Steve hi for me.”

“And maybe not from me,” Coulson chimed in from behind her, staying out of view of the tarmac. “The Avengers still think I’m dead, and that might be best for the time being.”

Dani nodded, orders clear, as she hoisted her bag over her shoulder. She’d said most of her goodbyes already, having spent a lot of time getting to know the team and seeing just how much they functioned as a family. Dani kind of missed that part —the camaraderie and the familiarity, the shared stories and the shoulders to cry on.

It made her heart hurt if she thought about it too long.

“It was nice meeting everyone,” Dani waved to the rest of the group. “I’m sure we’ll see each other again, sooner or later.”

She started down the ramp, cupping her hand above her eyes to block out the last of the sun reflecting off the glass. She could just make out a tall figure on the tarmac, hands in his pockets. As she neared with long strides, she could slowly make out that he was smiling back at her but unmoving. 

“I didn’t think you’d reach out,” Dani called out as she closed the gap between them.

Once she was about a yard out, it was easy to see why he didn’t meet her halfway. Dani had worked in the Triskelion long enough to know that Steve had a lot of tells when he was injured, and while he didn’t often make it to her office —usually opting to _self_ -heal against all orders— she could see them at least a few from where she stood.

The bruising across his face and split lip did wonders for her imagination. He hadn’t looked that injured in the footage she’d seen. How much did Coulson leave out of his briefing earlier? Come to think of it, how much of the story did _he_ really know? 

How much did Steve, Fury or whoever was in charge now let him know?

But short of word-vomiting all over Steve in the first five seconds they’d seen each other since their blow-out at the Compound, Dani tried to keep her face neutral, putting on her best fake smile.

Steve quickly grabbed her bag and pulled her into a half-hug, maybe a little too tight. A quiet hiss escaped his lips as he pulled back and forced a grin, “It was never a question of _if_. Just more of a _how_.”

Avoiding his eyes, Dani snuck one last look back at the Zephyr as they flew off, the rumble in the sky the only evidence of the team off on their next mission. And as it started to settle in how awkward this first meeting with Steve was turning out to be, she began to wonder if she should have stayed with them.

“Sorry for everything at the Compound. I knew there were ears everywhere, and I couldn’t really be straight with you,” Steve explained as he led her up the ramp of the QuinJet, hand between her shoulder blades. 

He set her bag underneath some seats and flipped one down for her. She tried to keep her face smooth as he walked, trying not to look too closely at the way he favoured one side or subconsciously protected his ribs with his arm. _Jesus Christ, Steve. What did you do to yourself?_

She knew better than to try to force help on him. Her and every former SHIELD physician knew that Steve Rogers was as stubborn as they came.

“I get it, Steve,” Dani brushed off, even though she really could have dug into him at the moment.

But they weren’t alone. And Dani didn’t really want to put on a show for their guest —they hadn’t even been introduced yet.

She had almost forgotten about the other person she’d spotted through the windshield of the jet, still sitting in the co-pilot seat at the front, eyes locked on the tarmac outside. If Steve was bad off with his scrapes and ribs, James Buchanan Barnes was a hell of a lot worse, the stump of the silver arm she remembered from the DC footage hanging off his left shoulder blade. Steve’s eyes followed hers, to the long-haired brunet, unbothered by her presence.

All things considered, Dani probably wouldn’t have had much to say after the day they’d clearly had either.

Steve continued with his excuses like Dani even cared. Half-listening, she managed to catch, “And I had to keep an eye on you, you know, just to make sure Clint didn’t slip you anything. We all have our weak spots.”

Well, the person sitting in the front seat? Yeah, that sure explained his.

Barnes, back from the dead and found after over a year of searching, was just sitting at the front of this jet and Dani was supposed to act like Steve’s motivation was for keeping quiet this whole time was interesting or relevant? Sure, maybe apologizing for the anger was justified, maybe even the lack of communication.

But if there was something Dani could understand, it was doing what needed to be done for the sake of family. Good or bad. Moral or not. 

Done with pussyfooting around the Winter Elephant in the room, Dani ignored Steve’s monologue and tilted her head towards the Sergeant with a questioning look. She didn’t even manage to get a word in edge-wise, as a clipped voice shot out from across the plane, “You going to introduce us or?”

Barnes and Dani seemed to be on the same wavelength, but she could tell by the venom in his tone that they didn’t have the same optimism for future interactions.

Steve sighed, “I was going to get us up in the air first, Buck.”

Barnes sounded almost offended at the idea as he scoffed, “Why, so she couldn’t escape? Let her leave if she wants. No room on this jet for weak stomachs.”

Dani bristled at the accusatory tone, but she tamped it down and set her jaw. 

“I’m Doctor Danielle Fisher, Sergeant. I assure you I don’t have a weak stomach,” she shot back.

Steve’s eyes darted between the pair, assessing how much of a threat they’d be to each other. It was hard to wade through the wall of tension and icy answers. Halfway between Bucky and Dani —acting as a human shield, probably for the unenhanced of the pair— he sighed, “Dani is Tony’s sister. She’s a friend, an _ally_. I mentioned her.”

He had swivelled around in his seat to look at her. Those grey eyes seemed to look right through her, harsh and cold. He was pretty far from the image of him found in every high school history textbook across America, but she could still see him in there. Past the long hair and the tired, worn eyes. Past the shiny metal arm.

“Jesus Christ, Steve. It’s like you want to get yourself killed,” Bucky all but snarled. “Are you taking every straggler who volunteers along with us? She’s a civilian and a Stark. You trust her?” The snarl was tangible, but Bucky was still that Soldier in DC, alert, aware and suspicious of help from strangers.

After watching the DC footage on repeats during the years, on those late nights she couldn’t sleep or woke up in a sweat, she’d know that look anywhere. That cry for help beneath the rage.

“Buck, we can trust her,” Steve said quickly, shooting a choice look to his friend. “They swept her on the bus. No weapons, she’s not tracking us, _and_ she walked away from her brother to help us. Show a little respect.”

But Bucky didn’t look convinced, assessing her from head to toe with an anything but neutral expression.

“Never trust a Stark,” she could barely make out the grumble as he turned back around to stare out the windshield.

It wouldn’t be the first or the last time she’d be written off for who she was. And as apologetic as Steve looked as he shuffled towards the controls and closed the ramp, Dani didn’t need any more apologies, she realized as she started to click herself into her seat. No more pity or sympathy. She just needed this bird to get in the air.

The Sergeant wasn’t going to change his mind before take-off, and she knew that.

“It’s fine,” Dani assured Steve, who checked on her as he buckled himself in. “I’d be skeptical about me if I was him too.”

But apparently, Barnes wasn’t about to let go so soon.

“Family’s family,” Bucky groused. “Blood and water.”

Dani sighed. If it wasn’t one thing, it was another.

And sure, she didn’t really have anything to prove to the man who’d been the Winter Soldier for decades, but she still wanted him to trust her. She didn’t want to be the piece of the puzzle he’d be anxious over when the work they were doing teetered in this Accords grey area.

“Yes, he’s family. And yes, I love him, but that doesn’t mean I _like_ everything he’s done,” Dani shot back. “The way I remember it, I’m here to help you —to help _Steve_ — so maybe shut up and take the help, no matter how civilian.”

Steve managed to get the QuinJet up in the air between potshots, eyes flicking to his side to watch Barnes’s expression, wondering just what it would take for him to get between the two of them. Dani assumed they probably wouldn’t devolve to fists. She was banking on it, really. 

That wouldn’t be something she’d be able to walk away from. She wasn’t stupid enough to assume otherwise.

Bucky turned to face her with a grimace, “And what about me, princess? You like what I’ve done? Do you even know? I’m not exactly a prize.”

“I’m well aware, Sergeant Barnes, but that wasn’t you. You can’t sit there and tell me you chose that life,” Dani asserted a little stubbornly, locking her eyes on his for effect. “And everyone deserves help. Take that from a Stark.”

Those piercing steel eyes darted between hers one last time, face smooth as he turned to face the front. Steve didn’t say a word as they hit cruising altitude, the plane levelling off, only blue sky and clouds visible through the windshield.

Dani felt like she was a kid in time-out at the back of the jet, thoughts drifting off as she looked at the seats across from her. It could have been hours or minutes the way she saw it, and the only thing that brought her out of her thoughts was a big hand settling on her shoulder.

Had she not been locked into the seat, she would have flown a foot in the air at the touch.

“Regretting leaving the city yet?” Steve joked quietly, taking the seat beside her.

Dani shook her head, “I couldn’t have stayed. Not with all of this. Not with Clint.”

Steve nodded, “I know.”

Dani found her gaze drifting towards the front, to the long head of brown hair, leaning against the back of the seat, motionless and silent, “He OK?”

Steve didn’t answer her right away, patting her knee gently, “He’ll get there. There was a bit of an issue when we left—”

“With Tony?” Dani supplied, seeing the hesitation in his expression a mile away.

Steve nodded, “So he’s a little on edge. We both are.”

Dani bit her lower lip, mind already racing with possibilities, “Is Tony—?”

“He’s fine. You uh…” he rubbed his face with his hand. “You heard about Rhodes?”

Unable to find the words, Dani nodded numbly.

She didn’t want to be this right now, deal with this right now. Curling her hands into fists in her lap, Dani refused to prove Barnes right on this.

“He’s in good hands. Tony will make sure of it,” Steve assured her, trying to meet her eyes.

She couldn’t do that right now, searching for any dark spot in the QuinJet that she could focus on. Something that could rip her away from those eyes that’d seen her cry a few too many times in their time together.

It sounded so strange hearing that sentence come out of Steve’s mouth, knowing she was no longer a part of that family unit. Those weren’t her problems anymore. She couldn’t be the one to help Rhodey with his recovery, and she would never be the sibling confidante she once was— in those rare instances when Tony decided to have emotions.

Steeling herself, Dani took a deep breath and turned to Steve, her mouth a thin, firm line across her face.

No wobbling.

No stuttering.

“What’s next, boss?” Dani asked in the most confident voice she could, trying to ignore the burn of the passenger’s eyes on the side of her face.

Steve offered a soft smile, a little sad, a bit tired, “Well, we’re missing our team, so we’re on our way to break them out of there.”

“So, sit down and buckle up, princess.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter is just like it says on the tin! Ready for a rescue?


	16. Chapter 16

**June 25, 2016**

Dani was practically buzzing as they levelled out the QuinJet in mid-air, Bucky quickly taking over the controls as Steve prepared to dive into the water. 

Coulson wasn’t kidding when he described the Raft as a high-security operation. Bobbing in the middle of the ocean, short of landing on the top of the structure, it was hard to make a typical stealth approach. So, in order to pick-up American fugitives Sam, Scott, Clint and Wanda, he’d have to swim. They’d get him just low and far away enough to avoid detection, but it was still quite the drop, Dani realized as she looked outside.

“This is probably the dumbest idea you’ve ever had,” Bucky groused from his newly-acquired front seat. “I know I probably missed a lot of them, but this has gotta rank. You sure you don’t want me to go with you?”

Steve practically rolled his eyes, “Even if you could swim one-armed, you can’t be seen on camera, and, while I’m going to cut the feed, we can’t risk saying we have you —either of you— out loud.”

Steve gave her just as stern a look as he did Bucky, knowing she had a tendency to put herself in the middle of the action if it came to it. But Dani knew they’d been threatening Clint with going after her, so she wanted nothing more than to see it through, but she knew better than to volunteer to jump into the turbulent sea.

“I’ll radio in so you can expect us and head over—”

“It’s a drive-by. I know, I know,” Bucky muttered. “I’m crippled, not deaf.”

And with that, Steve dove into the water below. Dani refused to look, biting her lip as she absentmindedly fiddled with her bracelet, tracing the arrow with her fingertip. She could barely make out his head above the waves in the distance, but the Olympic-level speed he was swimming at didn’t seem to be deterred by any of the less-than-kind seas.

It must have been a solid five minutes before either of them said anything out loud, avoiding eye contact and not really feeling the need for small talk. But the silence was starting to get to him. She could tell by the way he bounced his knee, rapping his fingers along the control panel as the second ticked by.

Dani was nervous, too; the thudding in her ears was getting louder with each passing minute.

What if they were too injured to travel? What if they got caught along the way? There were so many what-ifs floating through her head, it was hard to remember this was the _beginning_ of the op —the next steps would be even more critical.

“He gave up the shield for me, for _this_ ,” Bucky said suddenly, gruff voice breaking through Dani’s intrusive thoughts. “Gave up that stupid relic. For what?”

Dani genuinely wondered if he was expecting an answer or just blowing off steam while Steve was out of earshot. But after a beat of him staring at the now-closed ramp, Dani decided to pipe in.

“For a chance of healing. For a shot at redemption,” Dani said. “I was there when he started looking for you, and Steve was like a man possessed. Just knowing the absolute basics of what they did to you…”

Dani could see him wince and decided to end that particular thought there, not wanting to make Barnes more uncomfortable than he was already. It was bad enough they were trapped in a flying box in mid-air together, and he’d made it painfully clear he didn’t trust her. She didn’t need to add to the awkwardness with some speech about trauma and growth.

But maybe _he_ needed it —hell, maybe a part of her needed it too— and before she could stop herself, her lips were moving faster than her brain could censor.

“Listen, I’m sure it’s hard to accept help right now or see what Steve is doing as a good thing and not just another reckless Rogers plan. But the right thing to do is often the hard thing to do,” Dani said at warp speed, waiting for him to interrupt her. When it didn’t come, she took a deep breath and continued, “So, I guess all I have to say is sorry. No one should have to go through that, and none of us are going to apologize or back down when someone needs help.”

Dani turned her head to look him in the eyes, a little sad now, and tone a little less venomous than it had been at first meet.

“I killed your dad with my own two hands.”

Based on his initial reaction, she was certain he didn’t know a thing about her, but maybe he had been listening to Steve the whole time and was just hoping to scare her off.

Either way, it didn’t change her gut response.

“Are you expecting me to be mad? That someone took you out of your mind and used you as a weapon? I’m a lot of things, Barnes, but an idiot is not one.” Dani huffed a humourless laugh and added, “I’ll even admit to being a bit of a bitch occasionally, but I assure you, even though I’m technically a civilian, I’m smarter than I look.”

With only the sound of the hovering QuinJet and a dim nod of acknowledgement from Barnes, it seemed like they had come to an understanding. It wasn’t long before the crackling of static filled the cabin, and Steve’s voice rang out.

“ _We’re just about to hit the roof, Buck. ETA sixty seconds. Swing the bird around._ ”

Bucky pressed a button and muttered a quick “Copy” and turned back to face the front.

“Do you need any help with the controls?” Dani asked eyebrow cocked as she wondered how challenging it would be to pilot one-handed.

Barnes snorted, “I’ll manage.”

With the push and pull of a few buttons and levers, he managed to turn the bird around, dipping low enough for Dani to brace herself and lower the ramp at his mark. They’d likely only have a few seconds to get everyone on board and back up in the air before the Raft security could retaliate.

“Ready?”

Dani nodded.

“Do it.”

In one swift motion, Dani opened the ramp just as Bucky touched down on the roof of the bobbing structure (which, in itself, was pretty damn impressive). Steve Rogers was ready and waiting, arm around a morose Wanda as he propped her up. She was quiet, face blank and a little twitchy at the contact. Dani didn’t even have a chance to assess further as the team shuffled on, and she quickly closed the ramp behind them, just as the roof access door slammed open behind them.

Steve was already at the controls, Bucky shifting over to the passenger seat as Dani helped buckle Wanda into a chair. She gulped back her concern as Wanda flinched at her every motion, whispering apologies as she got her strapped in. Sam and Clint were at the ready, armed and waiting as the ramp eased itself shut. 

They all breathed a sigh of relief once they were up in the air and out of sight, safeties back on and guns tucked away. By the time it settled in that they were out of range, Dani was frozen in place, staring at Clint across the jet. She managed to breathe out a “hi” before Clint closed the gap between them and swept her up in his arms, hands shaking against her.

“You scared the shit out of me,” Dani admonished in a whisper, trying her hardest to push back the tears that were threatening. Her hands were clawing at the back of his Raft-issued blue uniform, “I’m so glad you’re OK.”

She couldn’t even begin to explain the fear in her belly as she’d watched the security footage, or the lump in her throat when she thought too hard about them potentially never seeing each other again. All Dani wanted at that moment was to have him hold her close, so she could _feel_ he was safe and with her again. She carded her fingers through his hair, trying to get some sense of him to ground her.

Clint pulled out of her grasp slightly, letting her get a good look at him. And while the bruising around his face and the occasional cuts and scrapes wouldn’t have usually set her off, this felt different. It felt personal.

“Don’t think I don’t see that look on your face. I’m fine, darlin’, don’t worry about me,” Clint pushed back the hair from her face, cradling her cheeks in his palms as he kissed her sweetly.

Dani realized all eyes were on them as they parted, cheeks heating up as the team looked away quickly, clearly caught. Dani bit her lip, detangling herself from Clint’s hold as he cleared his throat awkwardly.

“Where’s Scott?” Dani asked, both trying to break the weird silence and wondering why they were down a member.

“He took a deal. Wanted to be able to stay in the US and see his daughter,” Steve shot over his shoulder. “By the way, guys, I brought some spare clothes if you’d rather not look like prisoners when we land.”

“Aren’t we?” Sam asked, voice rougher than Dani had ever heard him. “Prisoners, that is.”

Steve’s mouth settled into a hard line as he looked back at his teammate, “No. Not where we’re going.”

“And where is it that we’re going?” Wanda chimed in, voice crackling mid-sentence.

“Wakanda.”

* * *

After a brief heart attack as they passed through the barrier that hid Wakanda from the world, Dani and the rest of the crew stood staring in awe at the incredible structures and sights before them. Clint held her a little tighter as they started out the windshield, watching people down below peruse markets and walk between buildings. 

It looked like something out of a storybook.

“It’s beautiful,” Dani breathed in awe.

“Yeah, I knew the cat costume was a front. Who knew T’Challa was hiding all this…” Sam trailed off with a bit of a scoff.

Dani quirked a brow, looking between Sam and Clint for an answer, “Cat costume?”

“I’ll catch you up later,” Clint assured with a chuckle. “Just be polite; we’re about to be in the presence of royalty.”

Bucky snorted. 

Dani assumed there was a story between them but didn’t want to remind anyone of anything painful, not so soon after the fact. Especially with the way Wanda was looking. The distant look in her eye and the way she holed herself up in the corner of the plane made Dani’s heart twist, but she knew better than to try to force help. Wanda would talk and open up when she needed to, and until then, Dani would just have to be there for her in the little ways she could.

Dani just tried to focus on Clint’s hand in hers as the QuinJet touched down on the terrain just inside the palace walls. T’Challa, Okoye and Shuri were already waiting for them just outside the doors. The Prince —soon-to-be _King_ — even took the time to personally introduce himself to Dani, something she wasn’t expecting.

“I regret that your brother could not see to reason on this,” T’Challa offered quietly. “I’m sure that must make things difficult for both of you.” He motioned between Clint and Dani, making her cheeks burn.

“I’m never going to agree with everything my brother believes in,” Dani admitted, trying not to think too hard about _how_ the Prince of Wakanda knew she and Clint were together. “I love him, but not always his decisions. I hope he can understand that.”

“Of course,” T’Challa offered gracefully, eyes sliding over to Steve. “Well, we welcome all of you for however long you may need to get things in order.”

Steve offered him a firm nod, “Thank you again for that.”

T’Challa shook his head, “It is the least we can do after our _misunderstanding_.”

Dani made a mental note to ask Clint to tell her the story behind their coded communications. Still, for the time being, they were led through echoing halls, past futuristic-looking rooms and labs as T’Challa and Shuri showed them around the space in the palace. As the others got comfortable in their accommodations, Bucky and Steve headed off with Shuri and T’Challa to discuss treatment.

“They’ve got to remove his trigger words and make sure Hydra didn’t leave any nasty surprises in him,” Clint explained just above a whisper. “With all the tech hiding in Wakanda, if anyone can do it, they can.”

It was just Dani, Clint and Sam left in the hallway. Dani had helped Wanda to her room to hopefully feel a little more human after a shower. She’d managed to get a few words out of her too —assurances, mostly, but it was better than the awful silence dark stare she’d had on the jet. They’d talk again after sleep, alone and away from prying eyes.

Sleep sounded really good about now.

But before Dani and Clint could return to their room, Sam stopped her in the hallway.

“Got a minute?”

Dani looked to Clint, who nodded and continued towards their room to give them space to talk. 

“Of course. What’s up?”

Hands in his pockets, Sam looked a little nervous as he shuffled her into his suite, just a few paces away. He waited until the door closed behind them before finally spitting it out.

“You heard about Rhodes?” Sam asked.

The simple question was like a punch to the gut. Dani had been trying so hard to keep a straight face and not break that the reminder caught her off guard. 

She nodded, a little breathless as she replied, “Yeah.”

Sam’s eyes searched hers as he stepped forward, no shoulder touch or comfort, just arms across his chest like he convinced himself he was in the wrong here. “I’m sorry, Dani. I know how close you were—“

Dani couldn’t watch Sam beat himself up about this, waving her hand to brush it off and stop him before her dam really cracked, “It was an accident, Sam. That’s not on you. That could have just as easily been you.”

“I know, I just…” but eyes darting between hers, he seemed to realize she meant it. “You doing alright?”

“Shouldn’t I be asking you that? It wasn’t Club Med by the looks of it.”

“No,” he breathed with a humourless chuckle. “Definitely wasn’t. But being carted halfway around the world on a hunch isn’t that easy either. Plus, with what happened in Germany…”

Another beat of silence that felt too loud. Dani didn’t want to dump everything on him, not when neither of them had had a chance to process the last few days.

Dani tilted her head in concession, “I’m just glad you guys are back.”

“You mean Clint?” he asked with a hint of that mischievous smile she knew so well.

“You’ve got me there,” Dani admitted, the corners of her lips flicking up. It was nice to see a hint of their usual dynamic, and Dani felt a little better about their talk now. “Thanks for checking in, Sam.”

He patted her shoulder and pulled Dani into a hug that she could feel in her bones. Sam’s hugs were one of a kind, and this one seemed to strike a chord in her that made her throat tighten if she thought about it too hard.

“Of course. We’re a team.”

Dani felt like her head was full of cotton as she crossed the hall and turned a corner to her and Clint’s room. Every detail and consequence swirled in her brain as she pulled open the door and found Clint gazing out into Wakanda through the window. Sun low in the sky, orange and red painting the view. It was hard to ignore how beautiful and peaceful it was, contrasting the rest of the goings-on.

If she hadn’t have been through the last few days, she might have even sat and watched.

The lack of sleep and the excitement seemed to catch up to Dani when the bedroom door creaked shut. She didn’t know when the tears came or who broke first, but the heaving sobs caught up with her. Dani dropped in place, sliding down the door to the ground as Clint closed the gap between them. He didn’t say anything, merely opening his arms as she crawled into the safety of his lap. Smoothing out her hair with his hands, Dani could feel a few droplets drip onto her head.

And it was this feeling, this particular brand of safety, that she needed to feel comfortable enough to break down. They both knew it if they were honest.

His fingers slipped under Dani’s shirt, rubbing circles into her skin as their breath caught up to them.

Sniffing back the last of the tears, she couldn’t help but chuckle, “We’re a mess.”

“But, we’re each other’s mess?” Clint offered unhelpfully as he swiped his thumb across her still-wet cheek.

Dani barked a laugh, “As long as we’re messes together.”

Neither of them knew exactly what was in store for them, but that was tomorrow’s problem. Tonight, they would have a warm bed, clean sheets, and they’d be in the safety of a nation’s palace. The future would likely be a lot less glamorous, but they both knew better than to look a gift horse in the mouth.

Wrapped up in the sheets, skin-to-skin, and half a world away, Dani never felt more at home than in that moment. Knowing that whatever lay ahead of them, whatever life gave them or threw their way, they could face it.

Together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi friends! This is the soft ending to this series. 
> 
> The next and final chapter of the series is an epilogue, so you can either stop here or wait until next week to time travel a little into the future and see where everyone lands. 
> 
> Initially, I was going to do 17 chapters AND an epilogue, but as I started writing chapter 16, I realized this was a natural ‘ending’ for this arc, and I didn’t want to drag it out.
> 
> xo


	17. Epilogue

**2019**

“Babe, do you know where my purple shirt is?”

Life was a funny thing, Dani realized.

It had been three years since they’d first touched down in Wakanda, after the events in Germany and Dani’s hasty escape from New York. They didn’t spend long there, quickly setting up international bases and small, trustworthy teams made up of a lot of ex-SHIELD agents. And, for a while, that was their new normal, flying off to safe-houses and doing recon while shuffling themselves around the continents. They never stayed anywhere too long, and Clint was often away for fieldwork, but Dani and Clint made it work.

“Probably in your drawer full of branded t-shirts, Clint.”

“No, I—” Dani could hear the squeak of a drawer and the rummaging stop suddenly. “Found it!

And then came Thanos.

After the battle in Wakanda, Dani and Clint had relocated with the rest of the runaways (Steve hated when Dani used that name out loud) to the US. After running around Europe, Africa and Asia for a couple of years, it was nice to have a steady home base, even if it was in the middle of nowhere, USA. It hadn’t been easy, but in the last year, they’d really found their groove and a place to call their own.

Dani never thought she’d be living on a _farm_ , but it wasn’t like they were running it. The nearby fields were leased out to local businesses, leaving someone always on-site and the farmhouse looking just like any other rural neighbour.

The fields seemed to stretch out into the horizon, nothing visible and no one around for miles. 

“Did you already set up our coordinates?” Clint asked, leaning on the doorframe with a smile.

Having a barn was also a handy place to hide a QuinJet, especially one with cloaking technology.

Dani closed the gap between them, tugging him by his belt loops, “Mhm, they just sent them over.”

“Of course, he waited until the last minute.”

Dani managed a half-smile, smoothing out the wrinkles in Clint’s t-shirt with her hands. Anything to take her mind off the fact that today was the day her stomach had been tossing and turning over for the past few weeks.

“Well, it’s not like they live close. There’s a reason they’re out in the middle of nowhere. You, mister, should know that better than anyone.”

Something about that distance, that anonymity, was comforting to Dani at the end of their long road. And while they might have bitten off more than they could chew at points —renovations on the house were a disaster, to say the least— waking up to this every morning was a better outcome than a lot of their team got.

Gone.

Dusted.

That hurt today just as much as it did at the moment; that piece of their hearts never really hearing. And if either of them said they didn’t hop in the pit of their stomach that every creak of the front door opening would reveal Wanda. Or Sam. Or even Bucky at this point.

Any sign that they could be one step closer to erasing that entire day from their memory. Of bringing them back home where they belonged.

But that didn’t mean that things with those who did make it out were any better. Case in point: The last time she’d seen Tony had been after he ended up back on Earth after 22 days of being trapped in space. Tired and gaunt, they’d exchanged a few words, but none of them very happy by the end. 

Clint and Dani hadn’t gone to their wedding. Not that they hadn’t been invited, but it just felt bleak. There was something sombre about celebrating so soon after they’d lost everything.

Dani hadn’t expected her brother to come calling anytime after that. He’s extended an offer, put himself out there, and she’d shot him down. So when an invitation on their private server ended up on their radar, Dani and Clint were shocked and immediately accepted. She could remember the tears that night, bittersweet that this is what it took for them to settle.

Today was an olive branch. Not just for Clint and Dani, but for the rest of the team as well.

“Are we bringing anything?” Clint asked.

Dani shook her head, “I offered, but they said they have everything they need.”

Clint whistled as they both headed out the back door, “Wow, didn’t go fishing for intel or anything.”

Steve and Tony hadn’t been on speaking terms, and while there was some blurriness around the teams’ lines, the line was still very much drawn in the sand. The two sides hadn’t breathed a word since. So if today went well, there was very much the possibility of some agreement, some ceasefire.

They had already lost so much.

“Where are we meeting him?”

“Them,” Dani clarified with a pointed look.

“Well, they are going to have to accept us being a little late because we’re on-farm time,” Clint said in a singsong voice as they both watched the farm workers making their way into the fields. “This is what we get for wanting a place to ourselves.”

Dani huffed a chuckle, “I didn’t expect you to take the farm thing so literally.”

“Y’know, there was another part of that daydream that we—”

“We are _so_ not talking about that right now.”

They waited for the crowds to disperse out of sight of the barn doors. Sure, the sound would give them away, but they’d be cloaked by then. And sound carried pretty far in middle America. Dani could feel Clint’s eyes on her, watching her every move. Not a word between them. 

Clint was worried, and sure, it wasn’t like Dani hadn’t been dry heaving this morning at the thought of seeing her brother again, but she was fine.

She could do this.

Reaching over to hold his hand, he quickly brought her knuckles to his lips, eyes not unmoving from the horizon. They touched down in a field dissimilar to their own. Lush greens with a wide stream cutting through the property. This was the opposite of anything Dani would have ever imagined for brother. This detached from humanity, the green oasis was never what she’d thought Tony Stark would do when the world ended.

Though she supposed no one could have predicted the world ending.

“Late, as usual,” Clint murmured as they walked down the ramp and peered out at the cabin. In this light, he looked almost like he had when he’d first met him, that first day at the Triskelion. The lopsided half-smile and dimple in his cheek. Back in fighting shape, he looked a lot brighter these days, even with the role change.

She’d been so distracted looking him over that fluttering in the pit of her stomach twisted at the sight in front of them. Dani crossed the lawn and pulled him into a tight hug without hesitation, tears already spilling onto her cheeks. Who knew a hug could make her so emotional.

“Woah there. You alright, Dan?” He chuckled thickly, huffed air like she’d blown it out of his chest with the impact.

“I’m good. Better now,” Dani sniffed, pulling back to swipe her thumbs under her eyes. “Oh, sorry. I didn’t mean to break out the waterworks so soon. I just…” Dani looked over to Pepper, and the pieces clicked as she dimly finished her sentence, “Missed. You. Two.”

It took much too long for Dani to register the little bundle in Pepper’s arms, and looking at her shining eyes, made the connection. Dani’s hands flew to her mouth as she sighed, “Pepper.”

Pepper stepped forward, leaning her check on Dani’s shoulder, “Her name is Morgan. And she’s two weeks old, Auntie.”

If Dani thought she’d been crying before, she couldn’t see through the tears at that, Clint stepping in to hold her a little tighter. Dani didn’t miss the way she reached over to trace Morgan’s tiny hands with his fingertips. She couldn’t stop hers following suit, blinking back the rest of the tears as she gave Pepper a watery smile.

“Congratulations. She’s beautiful, Pepper.”

Tony, who’d extracted himself just before Dani’s last sob, strolled in, hand fidgeting behind his back. Dani knew this look. Knew the way he was already tampering, if not _tinkering_ with whatever tech they’d brought with them. If she wasn’t careful, he’d have the flight plans from the last ten missions.

And he didn’t know they were still actively working.

“Smart girl. Purging the flight log history before you landed, huh?” Tony teased with a wave of his phone, but she could hear the pride in his voice. “Wonder why you’d go and do a thing like that.”

“We are related, you know,” Dani admonished with a lilt. “I know better than to underestimate a Stark.”

Tony huffed a laugh as he led them towards the cabin. Dani couldn’t get over the air out here, the damp grass and the running water; it was like she could smell the sunshine in its purest form. She could see why Tony and Pepper had decided to make this home. 

But she couldn’t even recognize the man he was now. The Tony in front of her was full of light and ease that Dani wasn’t sure she’d ever seen in him herself. From the way he carried himself, the way he smiled, the way he never left Pepper’s side, Morgan’s side. And the way his eyes kept slipping over to Morgan, even as he talked to Dani.

They were halfway through dinner when the friendly older brother banter started. Dani’s face was already on fire by the time he queued up the greatest hits of questions. She almost spat out a mouthful of water when she heard it.

“You married yet? Let us throw you something.”

Eyes widest they’d probably ever been, Dani stared at Clint. Sure, they’d had the conversation themselves and knew they felt the same way, but this was Dani’s brother asking— offering to put something together.

And so Dani stared at Clint, genuinely curious at what he’d say.

“No, it doesn’t feel right,” he said, gently setting down his drink. “Thank you for the offer and everything, Tony. Honestly, it’s really generous, we just…”

Clint trailed off, looking blankly across the table at Dani.

Between the team being split around the globe, the still-fresh losses and the world still being very much broken after a massive trauma, there were a lot of reasons they could think of to save the celebrating for another day.

The corners of Clint’s lips flicked up as he realized how to save the conversation, “Plus, I wouldn’t want to be accused of a shotgun wedding.”

“ **A what?!** ” 

The screech was probably heard the next county over as Pepper and Tony’s cutlery clattered onto their plates, Morgan’s nap be damned. Both sat in shock, mouths agape as Dani reached over to swat at her partner with her napkin.

“Clint!”

His smile widened, the tiniest hint of apology in his tone, “Sorry, I couldn’t resist.”

But Dani knew he wasn’t actually sorry.

Tony and Pepper stared between the pair, “You’re pregnant?”

“Five months,” Dani confirmed, hand absentmindedly going to her abdomen. “I was going to tell you, but… you kind of threw us for a loop with your news.”

“I just—” Tony cut off abruptly, glossy eyes staring up at her in disbelief.

If this was the moment she rendered Tony Stark speechless, Dani was fine with that.

“What Tony means to say,” Pepper started, voice a little shaky, “is that we’re so happy for you two! Congratulations!”

The scrape of chairs echoed through the room as the family devolved into a chain of hugs and kisses —a few stray tears thrown in for good measure.

It was later on that they settled into their routine when Dani was helping Pepper put the plates away as Tony and Clint watched on from the table, each nursing an after-dinner drink. They never would have had this moment a few years back, not this peace and quiet and understanding felt round the table. There was no bickering, snide remarks or subtext—just four adults— four family members —enjoying each other’s time.

Dani was just starting the coffee as Tony leaned back in his chair, eyes still a little glossy.

“So, what do you think about having Christmas here this year.”

Dani looked to Clint, who nodded.

“I’d love that.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! It’s your friendly neighbourhood author here thanking you for reading. This series was the first thing I ever posted to AO3, and at about 176k words total, this project has seen me through good times and bad. If you took a chance on this longfic pre-completion, thanks for sticking around! 
> 
> But even if you’re reading this later, just know it means the world to this little author to see every bookmark, comment and kudos along the way.
> 
> And, if you want to stay in touch, you can find me on [Tumblr (@pasmonblog)](https://pasmonblog.tumblr.com/).

**Author's Note:**

> If you want to chat fics, MCU, Marvel, or even find some sneak peeks and behind the scenes writing stuff, you can always find me on [tumblr](https://pasmonblog.tumblr.com/). I love chatting, so please feel free to message, ask or reblog away!
> 
> And, as always, all comments, kudos and bookmarks are loved and cherished.


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